Reed Fulgham did work Friday night.
It shouldn’t have been surprising, though, because the Victory Christian Academy senior was a key part of a Christian Football Association championship last season. While Anthony Sharp amassed more than 2,500 yards rushing and receiving and had 49 touchdowns, Fulgham directed the offense to the tune of 1,612 yards passing and a 65.1-percent completion percentage.
But things change when you lose players like Sharp and Cody Bolton, another key offensive performer who was part of a senior group that pushed the Eagles to a 10-1 finish.
Fulgham hopes he can provide the same kind of leadership this season. On Friday, he embraced taking the team on his shoulders and helped Victory Christian rally for two scores in the fourth quarter to pull out a 30-26 victory against Cahawba Christian (Ala.) in a CFA game at Coleman Robertson Field in Columbus.
“We knew what we needed to do,” Fulgham said. “No one was going to do it for us. It is my job as a senior and as a quarterback, and I was going to give it all I had and do whatever it took. The other guys did a great job, too.”
Fulgham had a team-high 95 yards rushing and was 7 of 18 for 93 yards and three touchdowns to help Victory Christian (1-2, 1-2 CFA) rebound from season-opening losses to Tabernacle and New Life Christian. The Eagles were outscored 98-25 in those losses, but led by Fulgham they showed determination, especially in the second half after trailing 14-6 at halftime.
Jake Hudgens started the game-winning drive by juggling a handoff and breaking off a 9-yard gain. On third-and-1, Fulgham gained 4 yards to keep the drive alive. A pass interference penalty gave the Eagles another first down and moved them to the 27-yard line. Fulgham took over from there. On second down, he nearly pulled out of a defender’s hold of his jersey before settling for an 11-yard run. On the next play, Fulgham ran to his left, made one player miss with a cut at the 10 and ducked into the end zone with 4 minutes, 6 seconds left.
“Last year, you had seniors to rely on, older guys,” Fulgham said. “We had five big key players. They had great experience and were great at the game. You relied on them to make big plays. This is a different year. This is our year, so it is our turn. Those guys look to us to make the big plays, and that is our job to make them.”
Victory Christian’s ability to rally from two 14-point deficits was fitting because that tenacity is embodied in the team’s mantra — “Eagles Work” — for this season. Victory Christian coach Chis Hamm said the players came up with the slogan because they realized it was going to take an extra effort to make up for the significant graduation losses.
Hamm was looking for that kind of production from Fulgham, which is why he said he challenged him at halftime. Fulgham was 4 of 12 for 10 yards with an interception in the first half, but he played the final 24 minutes like a player who had something to prove.
“I told him it was going to be on his shoulders and he had to lead this team,” Hamm said. “Last year, he was surrounded with a lot of experience and they kind of carried him and got his confidence up. As the year progressed, he played better and better. This year, it has fallen on him.”
Fulgham had to shoulder an even bigger burden after the Eagles lost sophomore Garrett Anthony to a broken collarbone. On Friday, Victory Christian was forced to play most of the game without senior lineman Chandler Honnoll, who left with an apparent shoulder injury. With dwindling numbers and the Eagles looking for someone to emerge, Fulgham stepped into the spotlight and embraced the opportunity.
Hamm said it was a matter of Fulgham “calming down” and doing it. After seeing Fulgham engineer the comeback, Hamm said he told Fulgham that was the best he had seen him play in a half in a long time.
“I think he is just learning to take it on his shoulders and be the man,” Hamm said. “I think tonight when we called his number we started doing some motion and running him out of that, and I think that got him going and he had some success. Then he hit the passes and it grew from there.”
Trailing 26-12 with 5:47 to go in the third quarter, Fulgham capped an eight-play drive with a 34-yard touch pass to Kody Anthony. The conversion pass failed.
Victory Christian built on that momentum at the start of the fourth quarter. A 28-yard run by Hudgens gave Victory Christian a first down at Cahawba Christian’s 17. Two plays later, Fulgham hit a wide-open Kody Anthony with a 16-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles trailed 26-24 after failing on the conversion pass.
But it was only a temporary setback.
Hamm sensed Fulgham recognized the Eagles needed him. He said Fulgham suggested a play and his blockers and asked to run the ball when the Eagles attempted to run out the clock. Even though his 10-yard run for a first down was called back due to a penalty, he regrouped and threw a perfect ball on third down that went off his teammate’s shoulder pad. The incompletion gave Cahawba Christian, which fumbled during a drive that reached the Victory 14 on the previous possession, another chance. But Gavin Forrester was in on two pass breakups near the goal line in front of the right pylon. Fulgham was in the vicinity on the second play on third down, but he declined to take any credit for Forrester’s work.
On fourth down, Kody Anthony snared quarterback Avery Shipp when he rolled out and then held him until a swarm of Eagles piled on and snuffed out the final threat.
Fittingly, calls of “Eagles Work” rang out on the field as Victory Christian prepared to run out the clock. After the game, Fulgham talked about his team’s effort and singled out the efforts of seven of his teammates and his coaches. He sounded like a running back making sure to praise all of his offensive linemen for a fine day’s work. But as much as Fulgham didn’t want to talk about himself, he admitted he “stepped up” and accepted the challenge of being the playmaker his team needed in a clutch situation.
Oh yeah, Fulgham felt he did some work, too.
“I made some running plays I hadn’t made in the past,” Fulgham said. “I have always mostly been a pocket passer, but I had to make some adjustments and do what it takes to win.
“Coach told me what I needed to do and challenged me. I knew it was up to me to lead this team and make this happen.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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