Is Christ Your O’Brien 26?

I took a minute to reflect on last Saturday's State championship and its similarities to others I have been a part of over the years. We were a 10 point underdog and taking on a perennial power. We knew it would be a dogfight, and what do we do? We go back to what we trust most. O’Brien 26!

The players call the plays and you if you could mic the huddle you would hear "26 on one—ready? BREAK!”

Forty to sixty percent of our plays this season (as they have been for every season) were some version of that sweep. It’s not always the flashiest. It doesn’t always go for 50 yards. Sometimes it’s two yards and a cloud of dust. But here’s what you already know: everything else we do—counters, play-action pass, misdirection—only works because the defense has to respect O’Brien 26.

Take that play away and the whole offense collapses. It is foundational. It is the cornerstone. Without it, nothing else happens. So, let me ask you straight up: What’s your O’Brien 26 in life?

If you’re a follower of Jesus, the answer has to be Christ. He’s not just one play in the playbook—He’s the play the entire season is built on.

Scripture says it better than I ever could:“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:22-23)

Jesus quotes that verse about Himself in Matthew 21:42. The religious leaders thought they could build something impressive without Him. They were wrong. Anything built without Christ as the cornerstone eventually tilts, cracks, and falls.

Peter drives it home in 1 Peter 2:6-7: “For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’”

Our players trusted O’Brien 26 all season. In the fourth quarter of tight games, they didn’t try to get cute—they went back to the rock they knew would hold. That’s exactly how we’re supposed to live.

When school is hard—go to Christ.

When friends bail—go to Christ.

When you’re tempted and the pressure’s on—go to Christ.

When the future feels uncertain—go to Christ.

When everything is awesome and you’re tempted to think you did it all yourself—go back to Christ.

Because, just like our offense, the big moments in life—the explosive plays, the breakthroughs, the victories—only happen when the foundation is solid. Counters off obedience. Deep passes off daily time in the Word. Reverse off serving when nobody’s watching. None of it works if Jesus isn’t the first, constant, and non-negotiable call.

Grace Academy just won its first-ever state football championship in our third year of existence. That’s crazy. But never forget: we didn’t win because we had the trickiest playbook. We won because we kept going back to the one play we could execute with total confidence, even when we were tired, even when we were behind, even when everyone knew that we were going to run the play!

So here’s the challenge as we put the pads away for the offseason: Make Jesus your O’Brien 26—every day, every decision, every huddle of life.

Now go live like the champs you are… with Jesus as your O’Brien 26.