Quarterback Luke Carney was an efficient 16 of 20 for 261 yards and two touchdowns as the Dallas Christian Chargers beat San Antonio Holy Cross 28-13 to win the TAPPS Division 3 state championship on Saturday in Waco.
The Chargers (13-1), who finished #2 in the final private school state rankings, won their third consecutive state title. They have won TAPPS D3 in back to back years. They won the D2 title in 2021.
Running back Jaden Davis scored on DC’s first play from scrimmage – a 50-yard touchdown run.
Davis finished with 116 yards rushing.
Carney then went to the air and connected with SMU commit Will Nettles on a 63-yard touchdown and 14-0 lead with 7:20 left in the second quarter. Nettles, who leads the Dallas-Fort Worth area in receiving yards, had six catches for 153 yards.
Carney’s second touchdown pass went to Decorias Taylor from 35 yards out to extend the lead to 21-7 in the third quarter. Carney was voted state champ MVP.
Holy Cross pulled within one-possession with 5:16 left in the fourth, but the Chargers sealed it with under two minutes to play on a 7-yard touchdown run by Davis.
DC finished with 382 yards of total offense.
The Chargers lost 17-14 to Ouachita Christian out of Monroe, LA in Week 2 before ending the year with 12 wins a row. They beat Lake Country, Dallas Covenant and Lubbock Trinity in the postseason.
During this three-peat, DC has gone 39-3 overall and 10-0 in district.
They have won the past 16 district games dating back to 2019.
According to the Lone Star Christian Sports Network, Dallas Christian captured its 11th TAPPS 11-man state title – breaking a tie with Shiner St. Paul for most all-time in TAPPS 11-man history.
