CPA survives at MBA, wins 16-15 on late defensive stand

The CPA Lions (1-5) and No. 23 MBA Big Red (4-1) met at Tommy Owen Stadium on Friday night in a cross-town matchup. Both teams are incredibly talented, so it was likely going to be a back-and-forth thriller; that's precisely what happened.   The two squads battled for 48 minutes, but CPA came out on top after its defense clutched up on the final drive of the game to seal a 16-15 victory.   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Photo-Oct-04-2025-12-48-32-AM-crop-1400x920-1759557069-crop-800x525-1759557413.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-1928646" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: CPA DB Roman Abbagnaro celebrates his game-sealing interception. Taken by Andrew Nelles, The Tennessean Sports.</figcaption></figure>   After a few punts, MBA finally put together a drive that went the entire field, ending in a Charlie Verner short pass that John Randall Scruggs took to the house. That's when the Lions went on a seven-minute drive to put themselves deep in Big Red territory.   2026 running back [player_tooltip player_id='1335216' first='Rawls' last='Patterson'] finished the job for Ingle Martin's offense, punching it in from one yard out to give his team a 7-6 lead. Both offenses sputtered the rest of the half, but the Lions added onto their lead before halftime with a 32-yard field goal.   The two sides continued to stalemate offensively in the third quarter, and then the unthinkable happened.   What should have been a simple punt turned into a snap way over the punter's head and into the end zone, where they had to fall on it to avoid a touchdown, ultimately resulting in a safety.   The Big Red reclaimed the lead roughly four minutes later when they got into Lions territory and [player_tooltip player_id='1847729' first='William' last='Wade'] walked in untouched for the score, making it 15-10 in the third quarter.   It was crunch time, but that's when Patterson is at his best. He led his team into the red zone courtesy of a few big plays.   They gave him the rock on third and long, but it looked like he would be stopped for a loss. However, he bounced it outside then ran over an MBA defensive back on his way into paydirt to give CPA the 16-15 lead.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1974293904057905237 </div></figure>   With 2:24 left in the game, the Big Red had the ball inside its 10-yard line with a chance to win the game.   MBA drove down the field quickly, but that's when they ran into trouble.   A receiver was tackled in bounds, forcing them to burn the final timeout with under a minute to go. There was now little room for error, but it didn't matter.   CPA senior edge rusher Eli Dickey sacked Charlie Verner, which forced them to go fast and throw up a prayer that Roman Abbagnaro intercepted for the 16-15 win on the road.   Player of the Game    Patterson was the clear-cut player of the game for his efforts in CPA's second win of the season. He was their entire offense, with the passing game being lackluster. The senior tailback totaled over 200 all-purpose yards with a pair of touchdown runs, including the go-ahead score with 7:13 left in the game.   He's a fantastic runner who's insanely hard to bring down as he's slippery, has good ballcarrier moves and can run through you. As a receiver, Patterson was a great safety valve, catching multiple overthrown passes and making something happen.   The 2026 RB is a TSSAA All-State selection for a reason, and could be looking at back-to-back honors this year.    Other Notable Players   2026 TE [player_tooltip player_id='1626178' first='Jackson' last='Neumann'] – MBA   The MBA passing attack wasn't great either, but [player_tooltip player_id='1626178' first='Jackson' last='Neumann'] was a difference maker for the Big Red. He has a solid frame, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 215 pounds, with plenty of athleticism and awareness as a pass catcher.   Neumann made several touch grabs, including a toe-drag catch on the sideline late in the game. He's an effective blocker who does his job and makes the offense move. Even in a loss, the senior was impressive and showed he could be one of the top tight ends in the region.   2028 QB Charlie Verner – MBA   Verner stepped in nicely for starting quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='688833' first='Hugh' last='Price'], who barely touched the field on Friday. The sophomore is inexperienced but stepped up to the plate and delivered for his team when it mattered most.   He's a dual-threat guy who can hurt you in multiple ways, especially with his ability to create even if the play isn't going his way. Verner made several off-schedule plays that resulted in significant gains and moving the chains, while using his legs to establish some rhythm on the ground.   The 2028 player is an up-and-coming quarterback who has plenty of tools to be an efficient signal caller for MBA.   2026 EDGE Eli Dickey – CPA   Dickey played a quiet, but solid game in a 16-15 win over MBA. His stats won't blow you away, but he played the run well, took on multiple blocks at a time and did his job to help CPA's defense stay strong for most of the game.   He's a Jax State baseball commit, but the senior EDGE is also good on the gridiron. Dickey is built exceptionally well, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 225 pounds. The senior is quick and twitchy off the edge, featuring a solid amount of bend, while showcasing good pass-rush moves.   Dickey has been a solid contributor for CPA all season, and that continued on Friday with essentially the game-sealing sack that forced MBA to run a fire drill.   2026 MLB [player_tooltip player_id='1566274' first='Preston' last='Patterson'] – CPA   [player_tooltip player_id='1566274' first='Preston' last='Patterson'] was money all night at his middle linebacker spot. He's a smart player who excels in the brain part of football. Patterson does a great job of reading the opposing offense and getting his guys in the correct position, but he's not just a football junky.   The senior linebacker can lay the wood, play good coverage, contain the run and has the right amount of speed to blend his game perfectly.   Patterson had nearly 10 total tackles while being part of a key fumble recovery that burned time at the end of the game.

The CPA Lions (1-5) and No. 23 MBA Big Red (4-1) met at Tommy Owen Stadium on Friday night in a cross-town matchup. Both teams are incredibly talented, so it was likely going to be a back-and-forth thriller; that's precisely what happened.