Football Recap: John Gross' Menacing Defense Leads Savannah Christian over Christian Heritage + How To Watch

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Savannah Christian had no problem doing just that on Friday. They came out on top against the Christian Heritage Lions by a score of 35-23. Given the Raiders' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 111th, while the Lions are ranked 239th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Blaise Thomas

Rushing Yards

11/21/25 vs Christian Heritage	142
10/31/25 @ Toombs County	120
10/24/25 vs Swainsboro	128
10/10/25 @ Vidalia	43
10/03/25 vs Savannah Country Day	65
+ 6 more games

Blaise Thomas produced another solid effort rushing for 142 yards and two TDs while picking up 8.4 yards per carry. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in August.

Savannah Christian's run defense was locked in: Christian Heritage could only muster two yards per carry. The team can thank John Gross for the heroic effort on defense: he. Savannah Christian didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 9.9.

Savannah Christian's defense didn't let Charlie Baxter, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. Gross was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. Another thorn in Christian Heritage's side was Weston Hughes, who made seven total tackles and defended four passes in addition to snagging an interception.

Despite the loss, Christian Heritage still got an impressive performance from Benji Michmerhuizen, who picked up 96 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Savannah Christian has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 36.6 points over those games. As for Christian Heritage, the defeat snapped their winning streak at five games and leaves them with a 7-4 record.

Savannah Christian wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next contest, a 45-14 loss against Fellowship Christian on the 28th. Christian Heritage does not have any more games scheduled as of now.