Trojans battle Chargers in preseason’s first tune-up
Despite having just been in full pads for less than a week, the Gordon Lee Trojans had their first dress rehearsal for the 2017 season Friday afternoon in Chickamauga as former Ridgeland head coach Mark Mariakis brought his Chattanooga Christian Chargers to Bobby Chappell Field.
The varsity squad played the first half for the Trojans and, despite scoring first, went into halftime trailing 7-6. Gordon Lee’s back-ups took the field in the second half and gave up two more scores, but got in the end zone one final time in the game’s closing moments to cap a 21-13 final.
“I was pleased,” head coach Greg Ellis stated. “We’ve had three days of practice in pads, but I thought we executed pretty well. We still have some things to work on, but I like (our players’) grit and I like that they are trying to do things the right way. It’s a good group to work with and if we can avoid injuries, I think we might be alright.”
Things couldn’t have started any better for Gordon Lee as Patrick Howard pounced on a CCS fumble on the first play of the evening. One play later, Braden Jarvis found an opening and scampered 20 yards for a touchdown and a lightning-fast 6-0 lead. The point after attempt, however, was missed.
After an exchange of
punts, the Chargers got on the board as Mondo Ellison broke free on a 53-yard run, while the PAT put the Chargers up by one.
The Trojans would march from their own 35 down to the CCS 15 on their ensuing possession, only to see the drive fizzle out on a missed fourth down attempt.
CCS would score twice in the third quarter against Gordon Lee’s No. 2’s. Jordan Perkins wove his way through the defense on a 31-yard scoring run, while the next drive saw the Chargers use a 44-yard run and two Gordon Lee penalties to get the ball down to the Trojans 1. Quarterback Jeffery Wizel would plunge in from a yard out to end the third period.
With the younger players showing off their skills in the fourth, Gordon Lee tacked on one final TD with 2:20 to play as Tucker Miller hit Brody Cobb for a 48yard scoring strike. Lee Frye added the extra point.
“We’ve got several freshmen and other underclassmen that are going to have to play so we can get some (older) guys a rest,” Ellis added. “Some of those kids are players, so we need to get them more reps so they will be seasoned.”
Gordon Lee will play in one final preseason scrimmage this Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Signal Mountain.