Christ School’s play calls for its final possession of regulation? Five runs by Jackson Cancel ’26.
Overtime? More of No. 4.
Jackson’s first and only carry of Friday's overtime was a 10-yard run that he broke out wide, hurdling a defender to tie the game at 25-25.
In stepped Spencer Thompson ’26 for a moment that will be frozen in time, and not just because everyone in attendance at Fayssoux Field may have actually been frozen by the temperature outside.
Spencer was calm and collected, even unphased by a timeout meant to get into his head. The snap and hold were satisfactory for the junior to send his last extra point of the night sailing through the uprights and off the rock wall of the Mebane Science Center.
Final score: Greenies 26, Asheville School 25 in an all-time classic for the oldest rivalry in the Carolinas.
“It’s a heck of a team effort,” said Jackson, who had two other touchdown runs of 2 and 5 yards in the 98th edition of "The Game."
“We’ve been preparing and working for this, through everything, through a hurricane. This pressure is a privilege, and we took advantage of it. You dream of something like this when you’re a little kid, and living it? It just doesn’t feel real. It’s like a movie.”
Per tradition, Christ School gets to keep the Fayssoux-Arbogast Trophy for another year. You might say the trophy is the newest teenager on campus as the Greenies (4-5) have not lost to the Blues since 2012, a series record for either side of the oldest rivalry in the Carolinas.
The Blues (7-2) are the three-time NCISAA Division II state champions and as athletically-gifted this season as any during the streak, so Christ School coach Chad Walker said he knew his team had to be physical. That included running a package with 292-pound Cash Freeman ’27 in the Wildcat. Cash scored the game’s first touchdown on a 4-yard rumble at the 1:55 mark of the opening quarter.
"That was the gameplan,” Coach Walker said.
“We figured they had pretty good skill players, and it’s not that we didn't love those matchups for us, but we felt like we could win the game with our guys in trenches. The guys really showed out and did a phenomenal job playing for each other tonight. It’s a great way to send out our seniors and gives the younger guys (some motivation) for the offseason.”
Cooper Kirby ‘26 and Zion Ikeme '27 made early interceptions. Dawson Thompson ’25 blocked an extra point and the Greenies took advantage of a bad snap on another failed Blues PAT in overtime.
Historically, the all-time series between Christ School and Asheville School now stands at 50-44-4 in the Blues' favor, but the Greenies have won 21 of the 25 games in the 2000s.
Friday's game was originally scheduled for Sept. 28 but postponed by Hurricane Helene. The NCISAA granted the rivals an exemption to play this late in November. The Greenies were led to the field by a bagpipe player, Coach Mike Knighton P'87 was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at halftime, and there were food trucks and live bluegrass music for fans.