Jacksonville, Florida, is home to many elite high school football programs. If you ask any collegiate coach about the talent in Jacksonville, that conversation would include Trinity Christian Academy
Trinity Christian Academy (TCA) is home to the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) 2013 Class 3A state champions. The Conquerors of TCA, coached by Verlon Dorminey, had a remarkable season with an overall record of 12-1. Ranked 10th in Florida and 174th nationally, the Conquerors showed themselves worthy of their position. “We have great team chemistry, my players work hard and my staff is amazing,” says Dorminey.
Two current TCA coaching staff members played collegiate football and are former Conquerors. “They are great with the guys and on one page,” says Dorminey. With the players and staff on one accord, it’s no wonder the Conquerors were unstoppable. Their offense averaged 34.7 points per game with a total of 3,461 yards rushing (266 per game) and 1,437 yards passing (110.5 per game). Their defense forced 19 interceptions (1.5 per game) and 18 fumbles, tallying up a total of 44 sacks (3.4 per game) and 604 tackles total (46.5 per game).
The Conquerors had several key contributors: senior quarterback Jaquez Riles threw for a total of 1,092 yards (99.3 per game) with a total of 16 touchdowns, sophomore running back Jalin Buie rushed for a total of 1,527 yards (8.53 yards per carry) with a total of 12 touchdowns, and junior linebacker Andre Smith averaged three and a half sacks and 4.6 tackles per game (60 tackles total).
“Isaiah Ford is a leader and great football player,” says Dorminey. Ford had a total of 717 yards receiving with 12 touchdowns and rushed for a total of 201 yards, scoring four times. Kevin Tolliver rushed for 502 yards, scoring seven times, and totaled 36 tackles, Victor Alexander had 70 tackles. Jeffrey Holland tallied 45 tackles, and both T.J. Jackson and Deontai Williams totaled 43 tackles. Ben Edwards had 37 tackles. Defense wins games and this unit proved it.
From looking at the box scores, one most likely would assume that TCA’s schedule was easy. That assumption would be entirely false. The road to the 3A title was no walk in the park. The Conquerors faced tough opponents such as the (8-4) Celtics of Trinity Catholic, who averaged 178.9 yards receiving per game and 208.2 yards rushing per game; the (10-3) Crusaders of Tampa Catholic, who averaged 174.6 yards receiving and 140.3 yards rushing per game; and the (11-3) Marauders of Clearwater Central, who totaled 114.9 yards receiving and 252 yards rushing. With the final score of the FHSAA 3A championship game being 34-7, it goes to show how truly amazing the Conquerors are. Colleges from the ACC, SEC, PAC-10 and Big East are paying them a visit. With attention like this, no one would question why Trinity Christian is ranked number one for small schools.
JX/March 2014
Trinity Christian Academy
Jacksonville, FL
Allen Young Jr.
Trinity Conquers a State Title
