NEWPORT NEWS - After allowing 28 straight points to Louisburg, The Apprentice School football team scored the final 16 points of the day to defeat the Hurricanes on a last second field goal, 40-37.
Jeremiah Morgan's 47-yard field goal as time expired tied a program record, while Mason Tatum's 427 yards passing shattered the single game record by nearly 40 yards. Leland Girdy's 10 catches is tied for fifth all-time in a game, while his 193 yards receiving is tied for third best. The offense's 501 yards gained on the day is eighth-best in program history as well.
With the win, the Builders clinch the first undefeated home schedule since 1994 and the second all-time.
After a scoreless first quarter where both teams felt each other out, Morgan put Apprentice on the board with a 37-yard field goal just a minute into the second period. Six minutes later, Tatum linked up with Curtis Green to put the first touchdown on the board and take a 10-0 lead.
The Hurricanes answered on the ensuing drive as Reed Charpia found Jayden Flood-Brown for a 44-yard touchdown, but the Builders hit back late in the period when Tatum found Willis Walton for a 24-yard touchdown to take a 17-7 lead into halftime.
After Louisburg got a safety early in the third quarter, The Apprentice School settled back in and scored with 21 seconds to play in the quarter on a pass from Tatum to Ricardo Corpus that pushed the Builder lead to its largest gap at 15 points.
Louisburg responded in a big way, scoring four touchdowns over a 4:21 span to start the fourth quarter to take a 37-24 lead and take the wind out of the home crowd, but Tatum brought the fans back in to the game as he found Girdy for a 69-yard touchdown on the first play after falling behind by 13 points. Two minutes later, Tatum and Girdy hooked up again to tie the game at 37-37.
The Builder defense got the ball back with 24 seconds left, and Tatum led the offense into field goal range, setting up Morgan's 47-yard field goal as time expired to win the game for the home team.
Apprentice will next play on the road November 12 against Sussex County Community College.
