Chapel Hill High School’s football team beat Orange High School 24-22 on April 9 on a last-second field goal from senior Nolan Westrom in what was a tense, back-and-forth contest between the two teams.
The win secured Chapel Hill the sixth-seeded spot in the NCHSAA 3AA Playoffs and a three-way tie with Southern Durham and Northwood for the Big 8 Conference Championship.
Although the Tigers had a 21-14 lead with just four minutes left in the game, a fourth-and-goal touchdown by Orange, followed by a two-point conversion that gave them the lead, with only 25 seconds left in the game seemed like it would end the Tigers’ season.
However, receiver Khylil Jones made a miraculous catch from quarterback Caleb Kelley in double-coverage to put the Tigers in position for a field goal attempt with only seconds left.
Westrom’s 40-yard kick closed the game, keeping the team’s season alive with a heroic game-winner, as the rest of the team flooded the field to celebrate.
“To compose myself during that last play, I thought about how many times I’d practiced that exact kick over the past year-and-a-half and knew that I had to come through for the team,” Westrom, who joined the team during his junior year, said. “Making the kick and winning the game was an amazing feeling and definitely one I’ll never forget.”
With a final score of 35-42, Chapel Hill High lost in the first round of the state playoffs to West Brunswick High School, unable to piece together a victory despite a valiant fourth quarter effort, scoring 21 points in the final 12 minutes of regulation.
“Overall, we have to enjoy this moment,” the team’s coach Issac Marsh said. “It’s not too often that you’re playing for a share of the conference finals.”
Chapel Hill finished its regular season with a record of 5-1, an improvement over their 2019 season, in which the team earned only one victory.
“It has been an unbelievable journey,” Kelley said. “All the hard work we have put in really paid off this year. The group of seniors really worked hard and changed Chapel Hill football. I’m excited to carry the tradition on and continue our success into next year.”
The team’s season included wins over Vance County, Cedar Ridge and Northern, as well as a notable upset win on the road against Southern Durham on their senior night, where the Tigers defeated the Spartans 43-38.
“When I got back-to-back sacks against Southern Durham, that was definitely a highlight of the season,” senior Gabe Bollinger, an outside linebacker and right tackle, said. “Southern Durham is a team we hadn’t beaten in a while, and the sacks helped seal the victory.”
Just two years ago, Chapel Hill High School was without a varsity football team with many of its players injured and not enough athletes to warrant a season of play. Now in 2021, with a trip to the state playoffs and a Big 8 title, the team has solidified itself as an integral part of the school’s athletics program.
“Coming in as a freshman, my goal was to turn Chapel Hill into a winning program that competes in the playoffs,” Kelley said. “We did just that this year, but we aren’t done yet—we will be back.”
