Lipscomb Academy Wins Second Straight DII-AA BlueCross Bowl in Trent Dilfer's Last Game as Head Coach
By Carter Mansfield
Many people outside of the Lipscomb Academy football program were worried that the news of Head Coach Trent Dilfer taking the same position at UAB would be a distraction in the Mustangs’ pursuit of a second consecutive state championship, but those fears were quickly alleviated. Lipscomb Academy was dominant early and never let up in a 42-0 win over CPA.
“What I have been preaching to this community for four years is control what you can control.” Dilfer said. “Our practice yesterday was one of the finest moments of my life. To watch a group of people who were hurting when they heard the news work through for two and a half hours of practice and by the end of practice be hugging and crying, has really been one of the themes we have been preaching here.”
Lipscomb Academy was led by the efforts of Senior Vanderbilt commitment Maureice (Junior) Sherrill, who had 201 total yards and 4 total touchdowns in the win.
“People always want to ask me what offense we run, and it’s called get the dude the ball.” Dilfer said. “Junior is a dude, we have other really good players, but we knew in the biggest game we had to get him the ball.”
While Sherrill’s efforts earned him MVP honors, the Lipscomb Academy defense could have made a case for the honor as well. The Mustangs held CPA to 80 yards of total offense in the shutout.
Tennessee commitment and the number-one ranked Junior in the state, Kaleb Beasley, had an interception that he returned to the two-yard line, along with a 52-yard punt return on the day.
Lipscomb Academy will begin a search for their next coach in the coming weeks, for what should be one of the state’s most attractive job openings. The Mustangs will also be making the transition to DII-AAA next season in a region with powerhouses such as McCallie, MBA, Baylor, and Knoxville Catholic.
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