Eye-catchers from Dunham vs. Lafayette Christian

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dunham's undefeated season received its biggest threat to date Friday, amid an explosive third quarter by perennial power Lafayette Christian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The No. 9 Knights (6-7), on their own quest for an eighth-straight state-championship game trip, build a 17-point lead on their hosts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But the No. 1 Tigers (12-0) responded with a dominant fourth quarter in all three phases — including three deep touchdown strikes and a disruptive, shutout defensive effort — to claw out a 34-30 victory and head back to the Division-III Select semifinals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are a few notes on some of the top eye-catchers from the contest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOh4g-C_ndk","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOh4g-C_ndk </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='642719' first='Elijah' last='Haven'] — 6-4, 190 QB — Dunham (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Once again, the sophomore quarterback found a way late. The Tigers' comeback took a complete team effort, but Haven certainly played his huge part with three well-thrown touchdown strikes in the fourth quarter. The performance was another edition in a growing résumé of poise and focus late in games, even those that haven't necessarily gone smoothly to that point, to rise to the occasion and make plays necessary to lift his team to victory. Haven scored rushing touchdowns in the second and third quarter, extended plays with his legs all night and then found <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710974' first='Jarvis' last='Washington'] Jr.</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401983' first='Trevor' last='Haman']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1596809' first='Eason' last='Jarreau']</strong> on the passing touchdowns in the fourth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Harrison Malik — 6-3, 195 DE/TE — Dunham (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior defensive end was one of the leaders of the Tigers' impressive defensive finish, finding his way into the backfield on a few occasions to wrap up at least one sack, at least one other tackle for loss and bring some pressure on another couple quarterback hurries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgsioJgOf4o","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgsioJgOf4o </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401983' first='Trevor' last='Haman'] — 6-0, 190 WR/DB — Dunham (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers' two-way standout provided some of the team's biggest sparks on both sides of the ball throughout the night. A big run on one of his wildcat snaps in the second quarter and a deep catch in the third set up Dunham's first two touchdowns, a pair of Haven runs near the goal line. Haman flew around the field on defensive, from his safety position, including at least one tackle for loss. And he caught one of Haven's deep touchdown throws during the fourth-quarter comeback. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='283986' first='Richard' last='Montgomery Jr.'] — 6-0, 175 DB — Dunham (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers' secondary deserves credit for its hand in some of the late struggles for the Lafayette Christian offense and the pressure Malik and company were able to generate up front while coverage limited options downfield. Montgomery lined up across from the Knights' top receiver the bulk of the night and held him to one late screen for a single yard. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Elliot Trahan — DL — Dunham (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another active, disruptive playmaker in the box, the junior defensive lineman helped secure a few tackles near the line of scrimmage and also came away with one of the Tigers' defensive highlights as he made a diving interception of a pass deflected by senior defensive back <strong>Grant Morgan</strong> in the fourth quarter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1601816' first='Braylon' last='Walker'] — 5-11, 160 QB — Lafayette Christian (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Knights' dynamic junior quarterback didn't put up his biggest numbers, but came up big in timely moments for the first three quarters — particularly on pivotal third- and fourth-down plays — to help build the team's lead. Walker finished 9-for-18 for 74 yards and rushed 16 times for 30 yards and a score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='914215' first='Jalen' last='Noel'] — 5-9, 185 RB — Lafayette Christian (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior running back headlined the Knights' night with 24 carries for 193 yards and two touchdowns and two catches for another 35 yards. Noel ran hard and consistently powered his way through attempted arm tackles for yards after contact and appeared to only be gaining steam in the third quarter as Lafayette Christian took control. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1537169' first='Jaimason' last='Marzell'] — 6-2, 195 LB/DE — Lafayette Christian (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Knights did an admirable job slowing down Haven and company through three quarters, keeping him under pressure and largely maintaining their containment to the outside. Marzell, the junior edge rusher, was among the leaders, including a team-high 10 tackles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->