On Thursday, November 7th, the Seminole Chieftains hosted the Victory Christian Conquerors for a senior night game with major playoff implications. The winner would advance to the playoffs, while the loser’s season would be over. In the end, the Chieftains prevailed in a tight battle, defeating the Conquerors by a score of 20-14. With the win, Seminole improves to 7-3 overall, 4-3 in district play, and secures their first playoff berth since 2021.

Before the game the Chieftains honored eight football seniors. Players honored included #5 Dontre Garfield, #7 Reece Smith, #10 Armon Burris, #12 Landon Bowling, #51 Martez Johnson, #68 Tucker Williams, #77 Christian Sneed, and #79 Julian Locust.

Victory Christian would strike first after a turnover on downs by Seminole in their own territory. A 2-yard touchdown run saw the visitors take a 6-0 lead with 3 minutes left in the first quarter.

Seminole put their first points of the ballgame on the board with 8:45 left in the first half on an 8-yard touchdown rush by Wide receiver Jay Ladd to tie the game up at 6-6. However, that tie would not last for long, as Victory Christian would respond instantly with an 80-yard touchdown run to gain a 14-6 advantage.

The Chieftain offense responded right back, putting together a scoring drive in just two minutes. Quarterback Dontre Garfield would cap this one off with a 50-yard touchdown run. However, a failed two-point conversion meant Seminole still trailed, 14-12. That is where the score stood when both teams headed to the locker room six minutes of game time.

The two defenses stood tall in the 3rd quarter, with the score staying 14-12 in favor of the Conquerors heading into the final period.

Then with 9:45 remaining, Seminole Defensive back Ethan Miller made the play of the game. Intercepting the Victory Christian quarterback and returning the ball down to the fouryard line. Quarterback Dontre Garfield would run into the endzone one play later and Seminole took their first lead of the night, 20-14.

The Chieftain defense continued to step up, stopping the Conqueror offense three more times throughout the final nine minutes and sealing Seminole’s playoff dreams with a 20-14 victory.

This is what Head Coach Mike Snyder had to say after the win. “That was a great win, you win those things one at a time. We felt good at halftime that we could just get another one in. We told our defense they were probably going to have to score, because we were just struggling and beating ourselves with the penalties. We just have to correct those things, and we will be okay. It’s great to go to the playoffs, it doesn’t matter who you play as long as you get in and play somebody.”

The Chieftains ran for 278 yards on 34 carries as a team, with QB Dontre Garfield finishing 10-15 for 100 yards in the passing game.

The Seminole defense shined all night, forcing three turnovers and allowing only 39 passing yards on 18 attempts.

Next up for Seminole is a trip west to take on Heritage Hall in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. The game is scheduled for Friday, November 15th with a 7:00PM kickoff.