Clarendon Hall's Naas carries game-winning score to Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week honors

Clarendon Hall went into Friday's matchup with Calhoun Academy hungry for a win.

The Saints have struggled with the Cavaliers, so no matter what record either team held, it was going to be a slugfest.

As it turns out, Clarendon Hall needed literally every point. They trailed for most of the game before Thelien Naas punched in the game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion with under four minutes to play. After leading the Saints to a 20-19 win, Naas also earned recognition as the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.

"It's awesome. It's really good," Naas said of the support from the Clarendon Hall community.

Naas was new to football when he got to Clarendon Hall last year. Head coach Todd Larrimer is proud of his continued growth on the gridiron as he helped deliver the Saints a victory.

"It's really satisfying to see how far he's come as a player and a person," Larrimer said. "With him impacting both sides of the football, it's definitely huge."

The Saints were hungry to avenge a 28-6 loss to the Cavaliers a year ago. Naas and his teammates were laser focused all week.

"Last year, I felt like they did us kinda dirty. I was a little nervous, to be honest. I just really wanted to beat them," Naas said. "I knew we were going to beat them, but I didn't think the first half was going to be as much of a fight."

Clarendon Hall dug an early hole, fumbling the ball away to set up a quick Calhoun Academy score. After trading touchdowns, Calhoun extended their lead to 19-12, and the Saints were running out of time for a response.

With the fourth quarter winding down, the Saints got inside the five-yard line and handed off to Naas. The junior did the rest, plunging into the end zone for the score. On the two-point attempt to take the lead, Larrimer called the same play. Naas ran into some traffic but found his way past the goal line to jump ahead 20-19.

"We just drove it down the field for a while, and when we got four or five yards from the end zone, I was just like, 'This is just another two-point conversion. It's the same thing I've done 100 times,'" Naas said of his mindset heading into the touchdown play. "On the two-point, they kinda stopped me in my tracks, but the whole team came together and pushed me. That was really good.

"It was a big wave of relief."

Larrimer had plenty of faith that Naas and the Saints would be able to execute the play. So much so, he called the same play twice.

"He scored that touchdown, and coach Matt (Baxley) looked at me and said, 'What do you want to do?' I said to give it to him again. I couldn't watch because that was the defining play that gave us the lead. It was cool to see him punch it in," Larrimer said. "The wisdom behind that play call is we like our guys better than theirs. We trusted our guy to execute, and that's the faith we have in our players. There wasn't a lot of nerves with the play call. Watching as a sports fan and a coach, that's what I was nervous about. His ability to execute the play, there were no nerves at all."

It was the perfect cherry on top of a busy night for Naas. He finished with 34 yards on the ground while racking up seven tackles on defense. He's more than happy to get plenty of snaps on both sides of the ball.

"It's an effort thing, really," Naas said of the key to playing well on both sides of the ball. "Just a pure want-to."

The win came at the perfect time. Not only did they get revenge on a loss from a year ago, but the Saints also were able to bounce back from a dramatic 21-14 loss to Patrick Henry a week prior. Clarendon Hall got some momentum back on their side after suffering their first loss, as they prepare to face Cross this week ahead of a home game against Dorchester, a rematch with Calhoun Academy and their regular season finale with St. John's Christian.

"It was awesome, especially coming back from the PHA game. We really needed this win for sure. Now we're on track for the rest of the season," Naas said. "I think we're capable of going to state and winning, absolutely. We're prepared to do it and have the coaches to do it. The best coaching staff I've ever had, the best teammates I've ever had."