MOUNT GILEAD — Chaos. That may be the appropriate word to use when even the head coach was blocked from viewing one of the biggest plays of the season thus far.
With the visiting Centerburg Trojans clinging to a precarious 13-12 lead over Mount Gilead, the Indians’ offense quieted the Trojan faithful with a 16-yard play to the Centerburg 47-yard with 2:20 lighting the clock.
The next play turned everything around; a pass down the near sideline was picked off by Centerburg, and the visitors found their voices once again.
Video by Dan Werner
Trojans coach Andy Colella stood on the field as the alma mater sung by the fans, and players drifted into the night Morrow County air.
“I do not know who grabbed that interception; I was too busy running around,” the coach admitted.
For the record, it was sophomore outside linebacker David Jones who used every bit of his 6-foot-1 frame to preserve the lead for good.
The struggles in the placekicking game proved to be Mount Gilead’s undoing, as both point-after-touchdown attempts sailed wide.
Centerburg’s first PAT was blocked, too. The Trojans hit paydirt with 9:25 remaining before the intermission with the score knotted at 6-6.
Mount Gilead took the ball in the third period and marched down the field, chewing up exactly nine minutes of the quarter. After successfully converting a 4th-and-1 with just 25 seconds remaining in the period, the Indians pushed over the goal line for a 12-6 lead.
The Trojans responded via Carter Waggoner’s second touchdown but a successful PAT left the game to their defensive counterparts.
Waggoner led his team all evening, finishing with 79 yards rushing, 128 yards passing, and a pair of rushing touchdowns. The plan was for Waggoner to do just what he did.
“We have done very well considering some key injuries,” Colella said. “We have some very good skill players and we just need to get out there and give them the space to do what they do.”
The victory pushes the Trojans’ win streak to five. They are 6-2 overall and perched atop the KMAC with Danville at an unblemished 5-0 mark.
Even though the loss drops Mount Gilead to an even .500 (4-4) on the season and 2-3 in the league, Colella knew the Indians were not a team to be taken lightly.
“It’s been a tough week,” the coach said. “We knew that we were not going to get a lot of possessions and we had, what two or three in the first half and the second half was similar.”
The coach now looks to next Friday as the two league leaders clash when Centerburg travels to undefeated Danville.
“We will have the top teams in the league playing one another,” Colella said.
What does the coach think about his season after eight games?
“We’re still in it,” he said with a smile.
Photos by Dan Werner
