CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville Christian Centurions traveled to Franklin Road Christian School for the TSIAA state semifinals against the Minutemen.
A hostile home environment for the Minutemen allowed them to take a quick two-set lead before Clarksville Christian fought back to take the third set; however, the Centurions eventually fell three sets to one, ending their first state tournament appearance in program history.
The packed crowd at Franklin Road did the Centurions no favors, as once the Minutemen strung a few points together, it was hard to recover that momentum with a standing-room only crowd. Franklin Road dominated the first set 25-10, and while the second set was back and forth early, the Minutemen pulled away late for a 25-16 win, taking a commanding two sets to none lead.
Clarksville Christian did not let them off the hook easily though, as the Centurions stormed out to a 16 to eight lead in the third set. The Centurions won the third set easily, 25-14, and all of a sudden had life with their season on the line.
“We had to settle in a little bit,” said Clarksville Christian head coach Marth Sheffield. “It was just about trusting what we do, having that next point mentality. Somebody’s got to win three for it to be over, so our mentality is to play our game until that point, no matter what.”
The fourth set wasn’t as favorable for the Centurions, falling behind 7-1 before a timeout. Franklin Road Christian cruised from that point forward as they went on to win the set 25-8, giving Minutemen head coach David Stanczak his 1,000th career win, and sending Franklin Road to their sixth straight state title game.
As for the Centurions, it’s not the end to the season that they hoped for, but a state semifinal and the best postseason finish in program history is nothing to shake your head at. The Centurions finish the year with only three losses on the season, and Sheffield could not be prouder of her squad.
“They’re changing the culture, and they’re becoming great young women,” Sheffield told Clarksville Now. “They love each other on and off the court. Wins and losses are numbers at the end of the day, but what they’ve done for this school is amazing. It sucks to end this way, but only one team gets to end with a win. It’s very rare to have a group of girls that are selfless, and this squad had that. I’m very thankful that I get to coach this team.”
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