Winning one football championship is tough enough. Winning two on the same night? Calvary Day School pulled it off Thursday, Oct. 22, at Memorial Stadium.
Calvary Day School's 7th/8th-grade football team celebrates its third consecutive Savannah Parochial Athletic League championship on Oct. 22, 2026, at Memorial Stadium in Savannah. (Photo courtesy of Calvary Day School Athletics)
The Cavaliers' 5th/6th-grade team defeated Hancock Day School 41-24 to win its second straight Savannah Parochial Athletic League (SPAL) championship. Then the 7th/8th-grade squad made it three straight varsity titles with a hard-fought 12-6 win over St. James Catholic School.
But neither game went quite like the regular-season matchups.
Calvary had shut out Hancock 28-0 earlier in the season and beaten St. James 42-28. This time, both teams came ready to play.
JV Championship: Calvary 41, Hancock 24
Calvary Day School's 5th/6th-grade football team celebrates its second straight SPAL championship on Oct. 22, 2026, at Memorial Stadium in Savannah. (Photo courtesy of Calvary Day School Athletics)
The Cavaliers got things started in the 5:30 p.m. opener, and their running game gave Hancock plenty of problems.
Fullback Brody Smoak opened the scoring with a touchdown run. Quarterback Javonte "Junior" Wright then found Cameron Tillman for a red-zone touchdown pass, and tailback Mason Kirkland added another rushing score.
Ben Vermilyea and Beck Stroud combined for two successful extra-point kicks, helping Calvary take a 22-8 lead into halftime.
Hancock got on the scoreboard in the second quarter when Mose Laffitte connected with Mikey Frohn for a touchdown.
Calvary kept running the football in the second half. Kirkland scored twice more to finish with three rushing touchdowns, while Smoak added his second of the night. Ethan McMillan also picked up a one-point conversion on a jet sweep.
But Hancock wasn't going away quietly.
Frohn scored twice in the fourth quarter on direct snaps, bringing his total to three touchdowns.
Think about that. Hancock went from being shut out in the regular season to scoring 24 points in the championship game. That's a pretty good turnaround.
Calvary, though, had too much offense. Kirkland and Smoak combined for five rushing touchdowns as the Cavaliers won 41-24 and celebrated their second straight JV title.
Hancock Day School's 5th/6th-grade football team, along with its coaches and cheerleaders, gathers at Memorial Stadium after finishing as runner-up in the SPAL JV football championship on Oct. 22, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Calvary Day School Athletics)
Varsity Championship: Calvary 12, St. James 6
Now, if you were expecting another high-scoring game between these two teams, forget it.
They combined for 70 points when Calvary beat them 42-28 in the regular season. This time, the defenses had something to say.
Calvary's Kale Andrews got the nightcap started by taking the opening kickoff all the way back for a touchdown. The extra point failed, but the Cavaliers quickly took a 6-0 lead.
And then? Not much scoring.
Both defenses settled in, and it stayed 6-0 until late in the third quarter.
St. James quarterback Owen Cooler scored on a sneak with 3:53 left in the third to tie it 6-6. The extra-point attempt failed, leaving the championship up for grabs.
St. James Catholic School's 7th/8th-grade football team, joined by its coaches and cheerleaders, gathers at Memorial Stadium after finishing as runner-up in the SPAL varsity football championship on Oct. 22, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Calvary Day School Athletics)
Calvary didn't waste much time answering.
With 18 seconds left in the quarter, Emery Forte hauled in a 7-yard touchdown pass to put the Cavaliers back in front, 12-6. The extra-point attempt failed again.
That six-point lead would have to hold up.
St. James kept battling, but Forte came up with an interception late in the game to help seal the win.
Forte caught the touchdown that put Calvary ahead and then made the defensive play that helped keep the Cavaliers there.
Calvary held on for the 12-6 victory and its third straight SPAL varsity championship.
Give Hancock and St. James credit. Both made the championship rematches much tougher than the regular-season games.
But Calvary found a way to win both.
And that's what championship football is all about. You don't always win pretty. You have to find a way to get it done.
For the Cavaliers, that's two straight JV championships and three straight varsity titles.
Not a bad run at all.
Photo credits: Courtesy of Calvary Day School Athletics
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Optim Orthopedics presents Prep Sports Report’s 2026 high school football coverage.
Optim Orthopedics team physicians include Dr. Don Aaron (Bryan County), Dr. David Sedory (Benedictine, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County), Dr. David Palmer (Calvary Day, Richmond Hill, South Effingham), and Dr. Thomas Alexander (Savannah Country Day, St. Vincent’s Academy).
