Category: Apprentice

Builders Blank Coppin State 58-0 on Senior Day

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A day that began with a celebration of the program’s four seniors, Logan Eastman, Alvin Hicks Jr., Austin Moore and Emmanuel Patterson, ended with the Builders celebrating a 58-0 victory over Coppin State University and the New South Athletic Conference North Division title.

The Builders scored early and often, tallying 35 points in the first half. They finished with 430 total yards to Coppin State’s 119 and went 7-for-7 in the red zone.

Quarterback Patrick Chewning was efficient in the first half, completing 6 of 9 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He hit Ryan McLister for a 9-yard score, then Isaiah Townsend for a 13-yard score at the end of an 85-yard drive that took just 51 seconds. Malachi Madden caught three passes for 60 yards, including a 49-yarder that set up that touchdown. McLister led the Builders with five catches for 57 yards.

On the ground, Builders runners totaled 291 net yards at 6.3 yards per carry. Tali Burgess led the way with 103 yards on nine carries, including a 43-yard run and a 2-yard touchdown. Shykem Chisolm added a 28-yard touchdown run, and Trevon Griffin, Malachi Mitchell and Bradley Hebb each found the end zone. Senior Logan Eastman converted all seven extra-point attempts and added a 26-yard field goal.

The Builders defense posted the shutout while sacking Coppin State seven times for 47 yards. Leslie Hines led the group with 2.5 sacks and eight tackles. Breiden Lowery added eight tackles, a pair of tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Tanner Cook scooped up that fumble in the end zone for a touchdown just before halftime.

Coppin State converted only 1 of 13 third downs and went 0 for 6 on fourth down. Its offense managed 2.1 yards per play and 8 first downs, compared to 25 for the Builders. The Builders also controlled the clock, holding the ball for 33:32.

The Apprentice School Builders end the regular season 7-3 overall and 4-0 in NSAC play. The opponent for the Builders will not be decided until next weekend to see who Apprentice will play for the New South Athletic Conference title on Nov. 21 in Ellenwood, Georgia.

Story courtesy Jacob Mullins/Apprentice Athletics; photo courtesy DeMetri Washington @pixxbydk

Builders Score 21 Unanswered Points to Beat S.C. Central Christian 31-22

CAYCE, S.C. – The Apprentice School football team turned a 22-10 halftime deficit into a statement win Saturday, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half to defeat S.C. Central Christian 31-22. The Builders improve to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in New South Athletic Conference North Division play.

Coming out of the half, the defense and special teams took over the game. The Builders outscored the Bearcats 21-0 over the final two quarters.

Two special teams plays flipped the momentum. Trailing 22-17 in the third quarter, the Builders got a spark from Malachi Madden, who fielded a punt at his own 14-yard line and raced 86 yards for a touchdown. The return gave Apprentice its first lead of the game, 24-22, with 7:47 left in the quarter. In the fourth, Chase Johnson blocked a S4C punt and returned it for a touchdown with 8:08 remaining, stretching the lead to 31-22. Baker Green also blocked a punt in the first quarter.

The Builders defense finished with seven sacks for 43 yards while holding the Gladiators scoreless over the final 30 minutes. Linebacker Leslie Hines led the way with a game-high 15 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Breiden Lowery added 11 tackles, a sack and two pass breakups, while Austin Moore recorded nine tackles, a half-sack and a fourth-quarter fumble recovery. Carter Sullivan added a sack as well.

The secondary came up big, too. David Pietrzak and Jabari Anderson each came down with an interception, and Anderson’s pick in the final two minutes ended a Central Christian drive. Jerrell Burse and Cash Curtis each broke up two passes. The defense saved its best for last. With the Bearcats driving to the Apprentice 3-yard line in the closing seconds, the Builders held on fourth-and-goal to seal the win.

On offense, the Builders were efficient in the red zone, scoring on three of four trips inside the 20. Alvin Hicks capped a drive with a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. In the third, Patrick Chewning connected with Kyle Musselman on an 8-yard touchdown pass to finish an 11-play, 59-yard drive, the longest of the day.

Trevon Griffin averaged 10.2 yards per carry, finishing with 51 rushing yards that included a 31-yard run. Tali Burgess added 43 yards on the ground, highlighted by a 37-yard burst, and Malachi Mitchell ran for 33 yards. Green led the receivers with 25 yards on two catches. Kicker Logan Eastman connected on a 37-yard field goal, went 4-for-4 on extra points, and sent three of his six kickoffs for touchbacks.

With the win, Apprentice stays unbeaten in New South Conference play at 2-0 while the Gladiators drop to 2-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Builders take on Clayton State Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 PM, for a battle of the NSAC Northern division lead. S4C travels to Trinity College of Florida for a designated NSAC dual.

Story and photo courtesy Apprentice Athletics

Apprentice Picks Up Tough Road Win at Stevens

LANCASTER, Pa. – After a bye week, Apprentice returned to action against the Bulldogs of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in a designated NSAC game and came away with the 16-15 victory behind the foot of Logan Eastman.

Eastman was 3-for-3 on field goals, all from 30+ yards.

Patrick Chewning found Isaiah Townsend for a 33-yard score with Eastman tagging on the extra point.

Tali Burgess netted 55 yards on the ground while Alvin Hicks Jr. added 25 yards.

Defensively, Leslie Hines had 8 solo and 2 assist tackles as well as one extra point block. Austin Moore had 3 solo and 4 assists tackles, a sack and forced fumble while Emmanuel Patterson added three solo tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack. Seventeen Builders tallied tackles on the afternoon.

Apprentice improves to 3-3 overall and 1-0 in the NSAC.

Story courtesy Jacob Mullins/Apprentice Athletics; photo courtesy DeMetri Washington @pixxbydk

Builders Roll Past Fork Union Behind Big Plays on Both Sides of the Ball

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Apprentice School football team put together its most complete performance of the season Saturday, cruising to a 27-7 win over Fork Union Military Academy in front of their home crowd. The Builders scored on offense, defense and special teams while limiting Fork Union to just 68 rushing yards on 36 attempts all afternoon.

Quarterback Trevon Griffin was the catalyst, accounting for a pair of Builder touchdowns. He capped a 7-play, 26-yard scoring drive with an 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, then found Keyvon McCloud for a 46-yard touchdown strike in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Griffin finished the day 9-of-12 passing for 166 yards and a touchdown, adding 8 rushing yards on the ground.

McCloud led all receivers with three catches for 78 yards while Baker Green added two grabs for 49 yards. On the ground, Bradley Hebb paced the Builders with 48 yards on 11 carries, and Tali Burgess chipped in 31 more.
Kicker Logan Eastman was money all afternoon, connecting on two field goal attempts (39 and 33 yards) and going 3-for-3 on extra points.

The defense set the tone early. Safety Noah Huff turned in the defensive highlight of the game, picking off a Fork Union pass and returning it 57 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter to put the Builders on the board first. Brandon Church added a interception in the fourth quarter, returning it 20 yards to help seal the win. Up front, Cameron Bassani was a force, racking up 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks, while Chase Johnson terrorized the Fork Union backfield with two sacks of his own. As a team, the Builders defense sacked Fork Union quarterbacks five times and held the visitors to a paltry 1.9 yards per carry.

Special teams played a role too, with Aiden Gerda booming kickoffs for an average of 57.3 yards, pinning Fork Union deep and limiting their return opportunities throughout the game.

The Builders’ offense was efficient all afternoon, averaging 5.5 yards per play compared to Fork Union’s 2.6, and controlled the game with a balanced, explosive attack through the air and on the ground.

With the win, Apprentice School improves to 2-2 on the season, while Fork Union Military Academy falls to 2-2.

Story courtesy Jacob Mullins/Apprentice Athletics; Photo courtesy DeMetri Washington @pixxbydk

Apprentice Opens 2026 Campaign with 27-14 Victory

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Apprentice School Builders started their 2026 campaign with a 27-14 victory over visiting Sussex County Community College Saturday afternoon at the Apprentice Athletic complex, behind three rushing touchdowns and a defense that came up with four takeaways.

Quarterback Brock Hoffman set the tone early, capping a 7-play, 53-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 6-0 in the first quarter. The Builders struck again quickly to open the second, needing just two plays to cover 15 yards after a Jabari Anderson interception set them up at the Sussex 15. Malachi Mitchell punched it in from 2 yards out to push the lead to 12-0.

Sussex County answered before halftime, riding a 10-play, 92-yard march that was capped off by a 22-yard Connor Hawkins touchdown catch from Kareem Moore to cut it to 12-7.

Apprentice answered every punch from Sussex County. Bradley Hebb bulled in from a yard out early in the third quarter to make it 20-7, and Hoffman found Malachi Madden for a 14-yard touchdown strike later in the frame to push their lead to 27-7. Hebb led all rushers with 43 yards on 14 carries, while Mitchell added 39 yards and a score of his own.

Sussex County’s Hawkins hauled in his second touchdown of the day, an 11-yard grab, with 1:50 left in the fourth to make it a two-score game, but the Builders’ defense, paced by Leslie Hines’ 12 tackles and Emmanuel Patterson’s forced fumble and seven tackles, closed the door from there, running out the final possession to seal the victory.

Apprentice leaned on a stout ground game with 132 yards and 3 touchdown, and a plus-2 turnover margin to pull away. The Builders also converted all four of their red-zone chances into touchdowns.

Story courtesy Jacob Mullins/Apprentice Athletics; photo courtesy DeMetri Washington @pixxbydk