'There when I need him': Colin Hurley, Miles Burris shine as Conquerors take down Columbia

Trinity Christian downed Columbia 43-30 in a matchup where top players shined for both programs. Colin Hurley and Miles Burris scorched the Tigers’ secondary, connecting for three touchdowns in the win for Trinity.

Columbia started strong, but the Tigers’ offense ran out of gas as the second half wore on in a strong performance from the Conquerors’ defense.

Trinity (5-0) makes it to the halfway mark undefeated while Columbia (2-3) falls below .500 on the season.

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Here are three takeaways from the contest:

Breakout Burris scores three touchdowns

Hurley found Burris on three of his four touchdown passes as the junior receiver had a breakout game against Columbia’s defense. The pair helped push Trinity across the finish line as the Tigers continued to claw their way into the game.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without our [offensive] line, our running backs, the quarterback, everybody plays a big part,” Burris said after the game. He’s become a top target for Hurley as Trinity’s offense shows off its versatility. “I just try my best to get open, be in the right places at the right time and do my job so that everybody else can do their job. The plays just come.”

With running backs Darnell Rogers and Treyaun Webb bottled throughout the night, Hurley extended drives with his arm. Facing a defense loaded with Division I caliber talent, he put up the type of game that makes him a highly touted recruit himself.

“He’s there when I need him, he’s a special football player,” Hurley said of Burris after the game. “We’ve had this connection for a while now. I’ve known him for three years and we’ve been growing ever since … he gets open when I need him to and he’s definitely a key player on this offense."

With the offense pacing the Conquerors, it fell on Trinity’s defense to stop the Tigers and they answered the call. A strip-sack by Bryce Kazmierczak in the first half gave Trinity the ball deep in Columbia’s territory.

The takeaway resulted in the second touchdown pass from Hurley to Burris and helped Trinity pull away from the Tigers early. But Columbia refused to go away, finding ways to respond every time Trinity tried to put them away.

On Columbia’s final push during the fourth quarter, Trinity found themselves with their back to the end zone and the Tigers’ knocking on the door.

They held Columbia out of the end zone on four consecutive plays and effectively ended the comeback attempt.

“We just stepped up, early in the game we were allowing a lot of easy plays. Around the fourth quarter and late third quarter we started locking in and getting off the field,” defensive back Tyler Jackson said at the end of the game. Jackson had a crucial pass break up during Columbia’s final series where he didn’t allow the receiver to catch a touchdown pass.

Columbia’s players and fans clamored for a penalty, but Jackson stood with his hands behind his back as teammates swarmed him.

“Shoot, I don’t know why they threw it my way, because they didn’t get any catches on me the whole game,” he added. “They tried Kyle [Boylston] down here, Kyle made a great play. We just held them up.”

It was another resilient showing from a defense that’s having to grow up quickly. As the Conquerors have remained undefeated, and their offensive stars have shined, the play of their defense shouldn’t be overlooked.

They limited Florida State commit Camdon Frier’s effectiveness in the second half and contained the dynamic Tray Tolliver. It’s another feather in the cap of a unit who’s punching above their weight class.

“It’s really just a testament to our kids,” head coach Verlon Dorminey said on when asked about his defense. “We preach, the most violent team wins. So, that’s why it’s big for us to be able to play like that. They have to play each week physical because of who we play. They do a good job.”

Frier starts game on fire

Frier is a game changer for Columbia. His first touchdown was a 41-yard catch and run where he turned the corner and never looked back. His next, a leaping grab over Trinity’s defender and a broken tackle to cap off a 61-yarder for the Tigers.

Throughout the first half he linked up with quarterback Tyler Jefferson for catch after catch and it felt like whenever he touched the ball, six points was a possibility.

With Frier on fire, Columbia’s defense flew around the field and took away Trinity’s rushing attack. Jaden Robinson committed Gator on Gator crime, often stopping fellow Florida commit Treyaun Webb before the dynamic back could break off a big run.

The same can be said for Darnell Rogers as the Tigers’ defense emphasized stopping the run against the Conquerors.

Offensively, they dialed deep shot after deep shot but couldn’t always find the connection with Jefferson and his receivers. Still, he used his running ability to buy extra time and slip out of would be tackles.

On the heels of a Trinity touchdown, Jefferson broke two tackles on the way to an 80-yard score on a keeper. He outran the entire Trinity defense as blue jerseys trailed him down the right sideline.

The Tigers just ran out of gas late and couldn’t hang with the performance from Trinity’s offense as the defense made life hard on Columbia.

Outlook

Hurley’s timely performance served as a reminder: Trinity’s rushing attack isn’t the only threat to opponents. Columbia’s game plan was clear. Get after the Conquerors’ running backs and hope their Division I defensive backs could offset any aerial attack.

But the No. 7 rated player and top-ranked in-state quarterback in the 2025 class according to Rivals had other ideas. Trinity’s offensive line kept Hurley clean throughout the game and allowed him to rip passes to his receivers.

It seemed like he and Burris were in complete sync, with Hurley slinging passes in his direction all night no matter who Columbia aligned across from him.

His last touchdown came against Tolliver, who registered a pick-six against Hurley last season when the two teams met. Burris climbed the ladder and came down with the pass, giving the Conquerors a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

Even though they didn't rack up gaudy stats, Webb and Rogers kept churning out yards and eating away the clock for Trinity. Those short yardage runs piled up as the Conquerors went on lengthy drives to put the Tigers on ice.

Columbia became the latest defense to fall victim to Trinity’s offensive output. With Webb, Rogers, Burris, Hurley and the crew humming, Trinity rumbled through the first half of their schedule.

Now, three district games stand between them and possibly another postseason run.

The Conquerors will face Christ’s Church Academy in a District 1-1M game next week. Columbia will be on the road against Orange Park in District 3-3S play.

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Colin Hurley's 4 touchdowns push Trinity Christian past Columbia