The Mariners Christian School Dolphins recently took home the Christian Athletic League of Orange County’s Division I Football Championship, beating the Calvary Chapel Eagles 12-8.
The eighth-grade Dolphin boys flag football team was led by a stingy defense that featured a front line of Brett Beaudette, David Schaefer and Jack Lynch.
The game was decided on an improbable 50-yard pass completion when Jake Haar found Nick Whitelaw on a Hail Mary at the goal line. Whitelaw was ruled down at the 1-yard line with less than 10 seconds to play, and Matthew Marchiorlatti ran the ball in on the following play to seal the victory for the Dolphins.
The victory gave the Dolphins their third consecutive league title.
“My hat’s off to Calvary,” said Dolphins Coach Mike Hatcher. “They came out firing on all cylinders and made some stops early to keep the game close. In the end, I’m so proud of my boys. We made some big plays late and that last-second catch by (Nick) Whitelaw was unreal. He was one of our key performers all season, and he didn’t disappoint when the game was on the line. This season was special because it took a collective team effort to when this Championship. I’ll s
