Sarasota Christian football shows development in loss to ODA

Sarasota Christian School had all the momentum, until it didn't. 

The Blazers, trailing The Out-of-Door Academy 36-31 in the fourth quarter Friday night, stopped the Thunder on a 4-yard, fourth down attempt from ODA's 37-yard line. The Blazers sideline lit up like fireworks following the stop. Sarasota Christian's offense got right to work and marched into the red zone thanks to a dominant passing game led by junior quarterback Ben Milliken. It appeared as though Sarasota Christian, in its first year of 11-on-11 football, was on the verge of upsetting a defending Sunshine State Athletic Association state champion. 

But the Blazers' flames of hope would be doused. 

Facing a third down and goal with 3:24 to go, Milliken received a shotgun snap and prepared to roll to his right but looked downfield before securing the ball. Milliken dropped the snap and the ODA defense recovered. The Thunder would run out the remaining time to secure the 36-31 win. 

Though the final result was heartbreaking for Sarasota Christian (3-3), the game served as a measuring stick for where the program stands as it transitions from two years of 8-on-8 football. In taking ODA to its limit, it appears the Blazers have the talent necessary for themselves to compete in the postseason. 

Photo by Ryan Kohn

The biggest difference between 11-on-11 football and 8-on-8 football comes in the trenches, and it showed against ODA. While ODA has big bodies and prefers to run the football, the Blazers' offense features air raid-style passing and tempo, scheming receivers open with quick passes and giving them space to make plays. Those are things the program perfected while playing 8-on-8. 

Blazers Head Coach Jacob Spenn said he was disappointed in Friday night's result but proud of the way his team performed overall, particularly his offense and the way the passing attack operated. 

"I thought we had that one won, to be honest," Spenn said. "But that's the way it goes.

"When people asked me (before the season), I said we were going to be competitive in every game. And I think this counts as competitive."

Milliken finished the game completing 32 of 51 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns. Two of Milliken's touchdown passes went to junior Travis Miller, one went to junior Colton Loftus and one went to junior Justin Brock. Five Blazers — Miller, Loftus and Brock, plus senior Randall Collins and sophomore Noah Spenn — had at least three catches. It is a breadth of weapons that is hard to match at the SSAA level, and it shows in the team's results: Sarasota Christian's offense is now averaging 30.2 points per game. 

If there's an area where the Blazers can't match the SSAA's top programs yet, it is size. Jacob Spenn said ODA's interior linemen, many of whom play both offense and defense, had "about 150 pounds" combined on Sarasota Christian's interior linemen. As a result, the Blazers could not stop ODA's rushing attack; Thunder junior Allen Clark finished with 236 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The previous week, Cambridge Christian junior Lucas Leiton ran for 182 yards and three touchdowns on Sarasota Christian, though the Blazers would win the game 42-32. 

Fortifying its run defense is a priority for Sarasota Christian, whether that happens this year or next year. So is cutting back on turnovers. For example, ODA's ball-hawking defense had three interceptions. 

Prior to Friday, ODA had allowed just one touchdown all season.

In 2024, Spenn and the Blazers wanted to compete with every team they played, and they have proven themselves capable of doing so. Anything else that happens this season is a bonus — one Sarasota Christian may receive. If the Blazers can continue to outscore teams, they can compete. In the team's first two losses, to Old Plank Christian Academy (2-3) and to Southwest Florida Christian (4-1), the Blazers scored just 10 and 6 points, respectively. But when the passing attack is in sync, like it has in its wins and the ODA loss, it is difficult to stop. 

"That's how football is supposed to be played, right?" Spenn said. "You watch (the NFL) on Sundays, you don't see all this grinding it out and turning people into meat. So that (a spread passing attack) is how we like to do it." 

The Blazers will try to start another winning streak on the road Oct. 10 against Gateway Charter (0-6) before finishing its regular-season slate with three home games: Keswick Christian (5-1) on Oct. 11, Saint Stephen's Episcopal (0-4) on Oct. 18 and Seffner Christian (4-1) on Oct. 25. All games begin at 7 p.m.