GRAYSON, Ky. – It took nearly all of the 3,600 seconds of play to decide it, but Faulkner downed Kentucky Christian 39-28 Saturday in the resumption of one of its most prominent rivalries. The Eagles scored 14 points in the game's final two minutes to secure the victory.
After Faulkner missed a 49-yard field goal with 3:38 left in the game, Kentucky Christian found itself with the lead and the ball. The Knights proved unable to move the chains and turned to Chase Hall for a 57-yard punt the hemmed the Eagles inside their own 20 with just 2:02 to remaining.
After
Jordan Moultrie started the drive with a 4-yard run,
Kamden Wellington connected with
Tomon Felton for a 69-yard catch-and-run touchdown to put the Eagles up 31-28.
Jacob Huff added the extra point to push the advantage to 32-28.
KCU's offense returned to the field with 1:40 to go and a chance at a go-ahead touchdown.
Jaquan Fank set the effort in the wrong direction when he chased down the Knight QB for a sack and a loss of 10 yards. The distance proved far too much for KCU to cover and the Knights eventually turned the ball over on their own 17 with 47 seconds left.
Faulkner looked to burn off the remaining 47 seconds and found itself in need of a fourth-down conversion when Wellington found a gap and broke a 10-yard run into the end zone to ice the game.
The teams scored 51 of their combined 67 points after halftime. In the game's opening half, both defenses proved to be notably stingy. The Eagles started drives at the KCU 40, 12, and 46 but ended each with a Huff field goal attempt. The sophomore kicker proved true from 24, 23, and 22 yards respectively to stake his team to a 9-0 lead. That score remained until the 4:33 mark of the second quarter when KCU quarterback Xavier Phillips broke a 7-yard sprint to the end zone to cap a five-play, 70-yard march and cut the deficit to 9-7.
The Knights took their first lead of the day with 9:07 remaining in the third when Jamareon Dale punched the ball in from a yard out to punctuate an 86-yard drive. The Eagles got back on the board at the 5:25 mark of the third when an intentional grounding call in the end zone resulted in a safety, narrowing the deficit to 14-11. The Eagles turned the miscue into a nine-point swing when they put together a 51-yard drive following the safety punt. Wellington hit
Kentrell Borden for seven yards and
Gage Mims for five before a pair of Moultrie rushes covered 10 more. Wellington then found
Tyrese Keiler for a 29-yard touchdown pass to put the Eagles back on top 18-14.
A short Faulkner kick combined with a 23-yard return and an offside penalty injected immediate life back into the Knights by setting their offense up at the Eagle 14. Phillips found Jalen Briscoe for a 4-yard touchdown pass to vault the Knights to a 21-18 advantage.
Faulkner answered the call with a seven-play, 61-yard drive that was highlighted by a 43-yard pass from Wellington to
Darian Riggs.
Jordan Leverette iced the effort with a 3-yard touchdown run, the first score of his Faulkner career.
The game remained 25-21 until the 7:28 mark when the Knights finished off an 11-play, 60-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Phillips to Briscoe.
Wellington finished his day 16 of 28 through the air for 207 yards and two touchdowns, adding 31 yards rushing. Moultrie turned in 115 rushing yards on 21 carries, marking his second consecutive week with 100 yards rushing.
The game marked the first time the programs have met since 2021. The result was Faulkner's eighth consecutive win in the series, which is played for the Stone-Campbell Cup. The title honors Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone, significant members of the American Restoration Movement, which shares religious heritage with both schools.
Faulkner (3-1) gets back on the road next week when it travels to Waleska, Ga. where the Eagles will seek only their second win ever against Reinhardt and their first since 2014.
