Passing fancy: Trion’s air attack grounds Gordon Lee
For over eight decades, the Gordon Lee-Trion rivalry has traditionally been a war waged on the ground.
Both teams have produced their share of tailbacks with speed and fullbacks with power as the Trojans and Bulldogs have slugged it out 81 previous times since 1933.
Game No. 82, however, was won through the air.
Trion junior quarterback Jarrett Gill turned in a perfect passing performance, and got some help from senior receiver Evan Walker, to send the Bulldogs back over the .500 mark with a 42-14 victory over the Trojans at Sam R. McCain Stadium.
Gill was a perfect 12 of 12 on the night with three touchdowns and a school-record 276 yards, while at 6-foot-3, Walker proved to be too much for a short-handed Gordon Lee secondary as he caught six passes for 146 yards and two scores.
“They knew that we had some mismatches on the outside because of some injures that we’re dealing with and I would have done the same thing,” Gordon Lee head coach Greg Ellis said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a few times, but that’s a good football team. (Walker) made some really good catches, but when they can throw it to a 6-3 guy over some of our smaller guys, they’re going to win that matchup that every time.”
Gill also scored once
on the ground as Trion (5-4, 3-3) finished with 461 yards of offense. Jarrett Pierce had 103 of the Bulldogs’ 185 rushing yards on 10 carries and picked up two touchdowns, while Jake Wells also caught a TD pass out of the backfield.
Gordon Lee (5-4, 2-4) muffed the opening kickoff and Trion would open the scoring with a 21-yard TD run by Pierce just three plays later. But the Trojans surprised the Bulldogs on their first play as Drew Cobb, the state’s third-leading rusher entering the game, hit Jack Solmon on a 47yard halfback pass. Seven plays later, Cobb pounded it in from a yard out to tie the game.
Trion answered as catches from Walker and Pierce set up Gill’s 1-yard sneak with 5:49 left in the first quarter and the Bulldogs would force a second Gordon Lee turnover as Cole Phillips, who recovered the game’s initial fumble, picked off Austin Thompson at the Trion 14.
Four plays later, Tanner Railey took a swing pass at his own 26, broke free and sprinted toward the endzone for what looked to be a surefire touchdown for the home team. However, he didn’t make it as Cobb would come through with perhaps the best
individual defensive play by any player in the state this season.
Sprinting downfield, he chased Railey for 73 yards before finally catching him a yard shy of the goal line. Cobb then proceeded to not only punch the ball free from behind, he pivoted on a dime, turned and scooped up the loose pigskin in the endzone and returned it nearly 25 yards as the Trojan bench and crowd went crazy.
A block in the back penalty on the return brought the ball back to the Gordon Lee 16, but the momentum had shifted and nine plays later, Cobb was rewarded as he got the call on another 1-yard scoring run to knot things at 14 with 9:21 left before halftime. Braden Jarvis picked up almost half the yards on the drive on a 43-yard reverse run.
But that would be as close as the Trojans would get the rest of the night.
Trion countered with an eight-play, 72-yard scoring march as Walker hauled in a 25-yard TD pass and, after forcing a turnover on downs near midfield, the Bulldogs tacked one final score with 1:52 left in the half. Gill was 3 of 3 on the drive and hit Wells on a nicely-designed middle screen from 22 yards out to make it 28-14 at the break.
The Bulldogs needed just four plays to open the third quarter with a score as Pierce carried three times for 40 yards
before scoring from three yards out. Gordon Lee’s ensuing drive would end with another turnover on downs at the Bulldogs’ 7-yard line and Trion would put the game away with a final 11-play, 93-yard drive.
The last 34 yards came on a picture perfect dime to Walker, who went up between two defenders to make the highlight grab in the corner of the endzone.
Gordon Lee finished with 221 yards of offense, 172 coming on the ground. Cobb, who was dinged up on a play early in the fourth quarter, was held to a season-low 53 yards on 17 carries. Jarvis led the way with 106 yards on 11 attempts, while Thompson was 8 of 18 passing for 49 yards.
Jarvis added a sack and nine tackles on defense, while Jake Leiviska had eight tackles, three for loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery for the Trojans.
Both teams will be back at home for their regular season finales next Friday night against crossover opponents from Region 6’s “B” subregion. Trion will host Mt. Pisgah Christian and Gordon Lee will draw Walker.
For the Trojans, it’s a chance to finish over .500 for the first time since 2006.
“We’re going to go back and work hard this week, get people healthy and let it roll,” Ellis added.