Triton Blocks Rebels From Sectional Title
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
Playing the Class 1A Sectional 33 championship game at South Newton High School, the Trojan football team claimed its second-straight sectional crown 23-21 thanks to a blocked field goal.[[In-content Ad]]"We hit them all the the time," South Newton coach Chris Bell said of making field goals. "Evan Brown is a good kicker. We just had a break down in the blocking down there and it hurt us."
The break down in blocking allowed Triton junior Adam Creighbaum to burst through the line, blocking the kick, sealing the win.
"I usually get pulled out for field goal block plays," Creighbaum said. "I lined up and told the guys behind me, 'follow me I'm going to make a hole.' I pushed the offensive linemen and ran. When the ball hit my arm I just went nuts."
The wild finish was fitting for the game, which saw most of its point scored in dramatic fashion.
Even getting the chance at a game-winning field goal was a big unexpected.
Down 23-15 with two minutes remaining, South Newton junior quarterback Tyler Lowe shook off two-straight interceptions, giving him four on the night to drive the Rebels 65 yards on 4-of-4 passing that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown strike to junior Trent Alenduff.
"I told him I don't care about the four interceptions you've thrown, that doesn't make a difference," said Bell, whose team finished the season with an 8-4 record. "He stepped up and did a good job of getting us down the field."
The only negative about the drive was a failed two-point conversion attempt with 43 seconds to play.
With under a minute to go, South Newton got more life in recovering an on-side kick with 42.5 seconds remaining and the ball at the Triton 43-yard line.
"We work on that every week, twice a week," said Triton coach Rodney Younis, whose team improved to 8-4. "It was just unfortunate that we didn't get it."
The Rebels were able to get the ball down to the Triton 6-yard line. And that's where the drive, as well as South Newton's season ended.
"They stepped up and got the job done when they needed to," Bell said of the Trojans. "You have to give them credit for that. We put ourselves in a position to win. The Triton boys just stepped up."
The Trojans put themselves in a position to win thanks to the four interceptions, one of which was returned 40 yards by senior Zack Clark in the second quarter, putting the Trojans in front 9-7 at the time.
Along with Clark's pick, junior Zeth Hoffer finished with two interceptions and senior Cody Carpenter came up with the other.
"We preached all week about communicating in the secondary," said Younis. "We knew they were going to do all different kinds of crossing routes. I thought they did a good job. I thought our front did a decent job of getting pressure to make him throw the ball quick. It was a whole team thing."
While South Newton was going to the air, Triton was sticking with the ground attack.
Rushing for a combined 209 yards, Creighbaugm ran for 132 of them himself, including a 14-yard scamper in the third quarter.
When Creighbaum wasn't getting the ball, it went to senior Cale Kennedy often, rushing for 56 yards on 14 carries.
"We really wanted to stop Creighbaum," said Bell. "I think we did a good job of that. We wore him down a little bit but they did a good job getting the ball to Kennedy up the middle."
Sophomore Dane Kennedy has found himself as Triton's signal caller the past two games. Against South Newton he completed 4 of 7 passes, one being a 15-yard touchdown pass to Zac Moriarty on a 4th-and-4 play with 2:05 remaining in the game.
With the win, Triton advanced to next week's regional, where they will host seventh-ranked Southern Wells (12-0).
Southern Wells advanced by beating Southwood 35-0 to win Sectional 34.
"The credit goes to the kids," said Younis. "The kids have worked hard all season and gelled as a team. There's no one out here that's selfish. It's all about the team and it showed."
After having never reached a sectional championship game before last year, at least one player is heaping praise on his coach for Triton's turnaround.
"It all starts with Younis," Creighbaum said. "We've worked year round. Right after the season is over, we start a new season. We do summer workouts and every one works hard. Every one is really dedicated. We want this program to excel. We want to win."
Playing the Class 1A Sectional 33 championship game at South Newton High School, the Trojan football team claimed its second-straight sectional crown 23-21 thanks to a blocked field goal.[[In-content Ad]]"We hit them all the the time," South Newton coach Chris Bell said of making field goals. "Evan Brown is a good kicker. We just had a break down in the blocking down there and it hurt us."
The break down in blocking allowed Triton junior Adam Creighbaum to burst through the line, blocking the kick, sealing the win.
"I usually get pulled out for field goal block plays," Creighbaum said. "I lined up and told the guys behind me, 'follow me I'm going to make a hole.' I pushed the offensive linemen and ran. When the ball hit my arm I just went nuts."
The wild finish was fitting for the game, which saw most of its point scored in dramatic fashion.
Even getting the chance at a game-winning field goal was a big unexpected.
Down 23-15 with two minutes remaining, South Newton junior quarterback Tyler Lowe shook off two-straight interceptions, giving him four on the night to drive the Rebels 65 yards on 4-of-4 passing that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown strike to junior Trent Alenduff.
"I told him I don't care about the four interceptions you've thrown, that doesn't make a difference," said Bell, whose team finished the season with an 8-4 record. "He stepped up and did a good job of getting us down the field."
The only negative about the drive was a failed two-point conversion attempt with 43 seconds to play.
With under a minute to go, South Newton got more life in recovering an on-side kick with 42.5 seconds remaining and the ball at the Triton 43-yard line.
"We work on that every week, twice a week," said Triton coach Rodney Younis, whose team improved to 8-4. "It was just unfortunate that we didn't get it."
The Rebels were able to get the ball down to the Triton 6-yard line. And that's where the drive, as well as South Newton's season ended.
"They stepped up and got the job done when they needed to," Bell said of the Trojans. "You have to give them credit for that. We put ourselves in a position to win. The Triton boys just stepped up."
The Trojans put themselves in a position to win thanks to the four interceptions, one of which was returned 40 yards by senior Zack Clark in the second quarter, putting the Trojans in front 9-7 at the time.
Along with Clark's pick, junior Zeth Hoffer finished with two interceptions and senior Cody Carpenter came up with the other.
"We preached all week about communicating in the secondary," said Younis. "We knew they were going to do all different kinds of crossing routes. I thought they did a good job. I thought our front did a decent job of getting pressure to make him throw the ball quick. It was a whole team thing."
While South Newton was going to the air, Triton was sticking with the ground attack.
Rushing for a combined 209 yards, Creighbaugm ran for 132 of them himself, including a 14-yard scamper in the third quarter.
When Creighbaum wasn't getting the ball, it went to senior Cale Kennedy often, rushing for 56 yards on 14 carries.
"We really wanted to stop Creighbaum," said Bell. "I think we did a good job of that. We wore him down a little bit but they did a good job getting the ball to Kennedy up the middle."
Sophomore Dane Kennedy has found himself as Triton's signal caller the past two games. Against South Newton he completed 4 of 7 passes, one being a 15-yard touchdown pass to Zac Moriarty on a 4th-and-4 play with 2:05 remaining in the game.
With the win, Triton advanced to next week's regional, where they will host seventh-ranked Southern Wells (12-0).
Southern Wells advanced by beating Southwood 35-0 to win Sectional 34.
"The credit goes to the kids," said Younis. "The kids have worked hard all season and gelled as a team. There's no one out here that's selfish. It's all about the team and it showed."
After having never reached a sectional championship game before last year, at least one player is heaping praise on his coach for Triton's turnaround.
"It all starts with Younis," Creighbaum said. "We've worked year round. Right after the season is over, we start a new season. We do summer workouts and every one works hard. Every one is really dedicated. We want this program to excel. We want to win."
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