BOURBON - The Triton Trojans hope they've turned a corner.
After a 44-year wait, the Trojans won their first sectional crown in 2007, and have their eyes set on another this year.
"That gave us confidence last year, and we hope to get there again," Triton's seventh-year coach Rodney Younis said. "This year, it's much more of an expectation. Our goal is to get back."
If the Trojans are to get back, they'll first need to get through the LaVille Lancers tonight in the Class 1A, Sectional 33 semifinal at Lancer Field in Lakeville, beginning at 7 p.m. The winner of the game moves on to the sectional final Nov. 7 against the winner of the Lake Station-River Forest matchup.
"LaVille is a very dangerous opponent for us," Younis said. "We really need to be focused on them."
Although the Trojans have won their last three meetings with the Lancers, LaVille still holds a 27-12-1 overall lead in the series, which involved a five-game winning streak between 2002 and 2006.
In their latest meeting, Triton had no trouble with LaVille, claiming a 34-0 in Lakeville on Oct. 3. Prior to that road win, Triton hadn't won on Lancer Field since 1988.
"That 34-0 score wasn't really indicative of the game," Younis said. "We actually got an interception for a touchdown before the half, giving us a 17-0 lead at the time. Before that, we were only up 10-0, and if they get a score and hang around, anything could have happened."
As it was, nothing happened and Triton continued its stellar play over Class 1A opponents.
Following a 21-7 loss to Culver back on Aug. 31, 2007, the Trojans have gone 9-1 against 1A teams, that one loss coming at the hands of the Churubusco Eagles in the regional game last year.
Younis credits his team's success against schools of similar size with play in the Northern State Conference .
"Our conference is such a tough football conference," he said.
"Against teams more our size, we've done well," he added. "We've gotten stronger going against opponents that have been good, solid and bigger schools, such as John Glenn, Bremen and Jimtown."
Playing larger schools, as well as implementing a weight-lifting program, has prepared the Trojans for success.
Coming into the game with a 6-4 record, the Trojans will look to establish their running game against the 3-7 Lancers.
On the year, Triton has averaged 223 rushing yards a game, compared to just 52 yards in the air.
At quarterback, junior Adam Creighbaum has been the catalyst. Going just 30 of 71 in the air, Creighbaum has thrown for 390 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions, but it's his legs he will rely on for success.
On the year, Creighbaum has ran the ball 148 times for 1,191 yards and 13 touchdowns, including his 254 yards and four touchdowns in last week's 35-14 sectional win over Whiting. Along with running the offense, Creighbaum is also Triton's top return man, averaging 26 yards on kickoff returns, with two touchdowns.
"(Adam Creighbaum) is obviously their offense," LaVille coach Jason Porter said.
"They want to run the option," he added. "They want to run a couple of other plays, such as the tight end screen pass."
The tight end to catch those passes would be senior Zac Moriarty, who's caught 15 of Creighbaum's 30 completions this year for 300 yards and a score.
While Creighbaum is without a doubt Triton's biggest offensive threat, he isn't alone.
Running backs Neil Robinson, Miles Reichard, Cale Kennedy and Blake Hoffer have all rushed for over 100 yards this season, at 326, 190, 176 and 137 yards, respectively. Against LaVille, those guys will be looked to get keep the Lancer defenders away from Creighbaum.
"We need to control the ball," Younis said. "That's what (LaVille) wants to do too. We need to gets the fullbacks going, because that opens up a lot. The last time we played, it helped that (Robinson and Kennedy) had really good games, because that made openings for the quarterback."
The Lancers also come from the NSC, and will likely look to utilize their running attack as well.
"We've said that if you're going to be a running team, you need to run the ball," Porter said. "We have three or four running backs that can carry the load, and no one really sticks out right now."
If the Lancers are to avoid another embarrassing loss to the Trojans, those running backs will need to keep the ball in their team's possession, and the LaVille coaches will need to be on top of their games.
"Overall, our coaches did not properly prepare," the first-year coach said about the previous Triton loss this year. "After reviewing the film, we noticed a couple bad linebacker blitzes that we should not have run. We did not do our homework.
"We've learned and grown as a coaching staff," he added. "We have a solid idea of how to play against Triton."
Younis is also aware that getting two wins at Lancer Field in one year won't be as easy as some may think.
"It's always tough to play a team twice," he said. "They've seen what we do. You can get all the tapes you want, but if you've already played a team, it makes it much easier to prepare."
