Standing in the pocket with Black tape wrapped tightly around his wrist, Cayden Dixon scanned the field for his moment. The wet turf didn't restrict his cadence, while every eye in Landers Stadium locked onto him with a nervous glare.
Briarcrest was 90 seconds away from losing its first TSSAA football game of the season, trailing 28-21 to Division II-AAA rival Christian Brothers. The moment could make any player, fan or coach quake.
Dixon patted the football twice, then rifled a pass more than 25 yards downfield into the hands of wide receiver JD Donaldson.
The senior wide receiver maneuvered around two Christian Brothers defensive backs and sprinting more than 40 yards to reach the end zone for a game-saving touchdown as the Saints (7-0, 2-0 DII-AAA)
went on to knock off Christian Brothers, 29-28, on Oct. 2 to remain unbeaten.
Christian Brothers falls to 4-3, 0-2.
“That’s the kind of confidence you want your kids to have,” Coach Phill Massey said of Dixon and Donaldson. “You want guys in those kinds of moments who want the ball in their hands.”
Briarcrest trailed by one after the touchdown and Massey and the Saints could have settled for the extra point and enter overtime, but they gave the ball back to Dixon with a chance to win the game.
Dixon had to improvise to secure the two-point conversion. Without hesitation, he lofted a pass to Kash Parker in the end zone for secure the win.
“I loved it,” Dixon said of the 2-point conversion. “I knew he was going to call it, so I was ready.”
After appearing in just five blowout games as a freshman in 2024, Dixon left Briarcrest to attend Nashville-area school Father Ryan for his sophomore season in 2025.
Dixon’s father relocated to Nashville for work, opening a door of opportunity for Dixon and the experience paid off.
“It was really important for my journey as a quarterback,” Dixon said. “It taught me a lot about adversity, so I would say it was really good for me.”
In 2025, Dixon earned DII-AAA all-region honors and received numerous FBS scholarship offers, including from Memphis, Baylor and Colorado.
The opportunity to lead Father Ryan, despite a 1-9 record, gave Dixon the foundation to make significant strides and when the Dixons moved back to the Memphis area, Briarcrest football welcomed Cayden Dixon's return.
“I just kept them calm, telling them to keep their composure,” Dixon said, recalling what he told the offense before its game-winning drive. “I told them when we got back in the huddle to just execute.”
“The ultimate goal is what we’re doing right now,” Dixon said. “Keep winning, keep competing and battling through adversity like we’re doing. We’re completing my goal right now.”
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How QB Cayden Dixon led Briarcrest football to 7-0 start with thriller vs CBHS
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