The Trojans celebrate a touchdown against LaVille.
Article by Andy O'Hara - TTSN
LAKEVILLE - After a sweltering week of practice, the humidity broke for the 56th meeting between Triton and LaVille. Both teams looking to stay undefeated and pick up their first Hoosier North Athletic Conference win.
The Trojans began with the ball and were able to move the chains twice in the opening series. A costly snap moved Triton back deep into their own territory where they would eventually have to punt it away. The Lancers special teams unit would get the ball rolling on their first punt return, as Xzavian LaFave would take the ball to the Triton 23-yard line. LaVille tried to strike early with a pass attempt toward the endzone that would be called for interference, moving the Lancers closer to the endzone. Then their weapon in the backfield Cody Allen would punch it in from 10 yards away, the PAT was good and LaVille led 7-0.
Triton answered the call with an 80-yard drive that lasted 7 plus minutes, where the Trojans moved the ball effectively on the ground as Wayne Reichert led the charge. Jayden Overmeyer would find the endzone for his first touchdown from 5 yards away. Shively kicked the equalizer to tie the game at 7. Triton would drive themselves into LaVille territory where a controversial interception turned the ball over to the Lancers. As the Lancers took over, a fumble ensued on their drive, and Jayden Overmeyer tracked down the loose ball. Triton took advantage of the short field, as Overmeyer kicked on the jets and found the endzone for his second score of the quarter. After a missed PAT the score would stand at 13-7 in favor of Triton. There was still some magic left for the Lancers as they would again get a good kick return. A 28-yard pass from Plummer to Good set up another Cody Allen touchdown in the first half to tie the game at 13.
The Lancers started with the ball in the third quarter. Triton had a nice defensive stand forcing a 4th down. Plummer, showing off his experience as a Senior quarterback, used a timely hard count and drew the Trojans offsides. They used the opportunity the penalty gave them and Cody Allen sprung free for a 58-yard touchdown making it 20-13 LaVille. On the next drive, Triton dug deep and moved the chains effectively. The drive led to a Cole Shively 40-yard field goal that broke his record of 39 from a week ago. The drama didn’t stop there as the two teams ran the clock and slugged it out as the game was quickly pushing to a close. The Trojans kept themselves in the game with good defense and the ability to move the ball on the ground. Triton did fall as the final whistle blew with a final score of 22-16.
Triton outgained LaVille in total yards for the game. Reichert exploded with 89 yards on the ground and Prater added 59 yards. The Trojan offense had 16 first downs in the game converting 7 third down conversion. Jayden Overmeyer had a night on both ends of the field with 2 touchdowns, two sacks, 7 tackles, and a fumble recovery. Shively finished with 9 defensive tackles on the night.
While a loss is never easy to swallow, Triton showed how to be a stalwart at moving the chains while playing tough defense. Triton did struggle at times but showed off their resilience to put the mistakes aside and never give up. It is early in the season, and this group has PLENTY of good football left in them. The Trojan's next two games are at home as they host Caston and then Bremen.
Stats Provided by Brandon Haines
Triton 0 13 3 0 - 16
LaVille 7 6 7 2 - 22
Triton's Record: 1-1; 0-1 HNAC
LaVille's Record: 2-0; 1-0 HNAC
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