What began in August of 2016 against Germantown came to an end Friday night in Nashville as the Christ Presbyterian (CPA) Lions defeated Lausanne 21-14 to advance to the state championship game in Cookeville, TN.
Lausanne fell behind early, trailing 14-0 before an Eric Gray '19 touchdown run cut the Lions lead to 7. CPA would strike first in the second half as well, extending the lead to 21-7. The Lynx scored again with just over two minutes left in the game on a Schyler Forest '19 35 yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to seven, but could not overcome a tough CPA team and less than stellar field conditions.
Prior to Friday evening, it had been 1,099 days since the Lynx had tasted defeat. Their streak of 38 straight wins shattered the Shelby County record for most consecutive wins. The previous record was 28 straight wins. Lausanne outscored their opponents by 1,115 points (1,617-502) during that streak.
Gray also set records, ending his senior season with 138 career touchdowns. That breaks the state record of 132 touchdowns, which was held by former Battle Ground Academy (BGA) and University of Tennessee player Troy Fleming.
The past three years are filled with moments that will not be forgotten.
The interception to seal the win against Harding on their home turf in 2016. The nail-biting state championship win over Knoxville-Webb later that same year. The 2017 win at Whitehaven. A dominant performance on both sides of the ball in defeating Notre Dame to capture back to back titles. The 2018 double-overtime thriller at Rhodes to defeat Whitehaven in back to back seasons. The record breaking win against Harding earlier this year.
Coming into the 2016 season, the team motto was #WitnessLynxHistory. During the course of the past three years, we were all blessed to do just that.
"It's been a long journey since ninth grade," Gray said. "It feels like we were just ninth graders and now we're seniors that have played the last game we'll ever play."
Thanks for the incredible ride Lausanne football. We are so proud of each and every one of you.
#LetsGoLynx #BeGreat