Cornerstone remains undefeated

Published 10:57 pm Monday, October 19, 2009

Excessive rains forced Cornerstone Christian School to move its football game with Abbeville Christian back three days to Monday. That was about the only thing that slowed down the Chargers as they scored early and often Monday on their way to a 48-6 victory over Abbeville.

Cornerstone wasted little time as it took the opening kickoff and used a balanced attack to march 60 yards on nine plays with Josh Anderson capping the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. KaDarius King’s extra-point kick gave the Chargers an early 7-0 lead.

Abbeville answered back quickly as it scored on an 85-yard touchdown pass three plays later. Lance Benton came up big for the Chargers’ defense as he picked off the two-point conversion attempt. For the rest of the game, it was all Cornerstone.

LaDarius King took a pitch on Cornerstone’s first play after the kickoff and eluded several defenders down the sideline for a 61-yard touchdown run. The extra point gave the Chargers a 14-6 advantage — a lead they would not relinquish.

Cornerstone got back to work in a hurry on its next possession as Lance Benton found J.V. McKinney down the left sideline for a 34-yard touchdown. KaDarius King’s extra point put the Chargers up 21-6 at the end of the first quarter.

LaDarius King capped off a 71-yard, seven-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run on the Chargers’ second offensive possession in the second quarter to put Cornerstone up 28-6.

The Chargers closed out the scoring in the first half with just over two minutes remaining when Benton found McKinney for a 19-yard touchdown. Eric Braun’s extra-point attempt was good to the give Cornerstone a 34-6.

Cornerstone coach Tim Smith liked what he saw in the first half from his team.

“We played really good the first half and were able to pull a lot of the starters,” Smith said. “Some of the younger guys were able to play in the second half and get some good experience. Our offensive line over the last two weeks has really come together and is playing great right now.”

The Chargers’ defense set the tone for the second half as Patrick Shaw picked off an Abbeville pass on its third play from scrimmage. Three plays later, Josh Anderson took off for his second touchdown of the night on a 33-yard touchdown run. Braun’s extra point gave Cornerstone a 41-6 lead.

Cornerstone’s defense set up its final score of the night. Clayton Halbert recovered an Abbeville fumble near midfield. Three plays later, Adrian Young scored on a 43-yard run. Braun kicked his third extra point on the night to make it 48-6.

Cornerstone gained 408 yards of total offense on the night. The Chargers were led on the ground by LaDarius King, who rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns. King now has 1,064 rushing yards on the season in just seven games.

Josh Anderson added 54 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Lance Benton passed for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns. J.V. McKinney caught five passes for 89 yards and two scores.

The Chargers’ defense was led by Josh Anderson, who recorded seven tackles, and Patrick Shaw, who finished with six tackles and an interception.

Cornerstone improved to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in AISA Class 1A region play. The win secures the Chargers a first-round game at home in the playoffs. They travel to Ashford Academy on Oct. 23.

Cornerstone Christian held a ceremony at halftime to honor their 15 senior athletes involved in football, volleyball and cheerleading.