SHARPSVILLE — Call it a breakout, an escape or just a bold case of frustration stemming from a long line of scars dating back to a 35-13 sectional loss to Guerin Catholic on Oct. 19, 2007 ending a 1-9 campaign.
Make no mistake, 346 days and eight straight losses is a truckload of frustration. Bruises fade, but memories are forever.
The Tri-Central Trojans let it all hang out here Friday night with a very convincing, 47-22 homecoming victory over Wes-Del. They led from the very start for the first time in who knows when; shook off a sudden 14-14 tie after three periods and then exploded for 33 fourth-quarter tallies.
True, TC’s first win in eight season outings came at the expense of a 2-5 WD club. But the manner in which the Trojans dismantled the Warriors — 331 yards and five TDs in 37 carries; six passes worth 155 yards and one TD and a school record 98-yard pass interception return by senior Jordan Shaffer — was like winning the lottery.
But the Trojan defense finally found the scent, so much that the Warrior ground game could’ve declared bankruptcy — 30 carries for 58 yards. It took 6-of-11 passing for 190 yards and three TDs to get the Warriors within that 25-point differential at the finish.
Every Trojan who stepped on the turf had a hand in this bell-ringing production. But 5-foot-5, 135-pound sophomore running back Keegan Pyke was the main Trojan assassin with 12 carries for 182 yards and three touchdowns and another payoff on a 73-yard hookup with quarterback Corban Fiscus.
TC coach Mark Burdsall finally emerged from the post-game celebration to say: “The kids knew they were going to get this win. You could just tell by their attitudes before the game. They remembered losing to Wes-Del in the final minutes last year [34-27], and they wanted this one real badly.
“Keegan had a great night; he deserved it because he worked out all summer. [Tyler] Burke also had a big night, but the team just played like it thought it could all year. I can’t say enough for our defense,” he added, referring to nine Warrior losses totaling 32 yards, four carries for zero yards and that skimpy 58 turf yards.
The Trojan defensive front — Jared Goodnight, J.T. Grubb, Bob Kittinger, Dustin Rhoades and Andrew Bilby — harassed the Warriors every step of the way.
Offensive coordinator Shane Arnold told the delirious Trojan troupe afterward: “This win was a tribute to the hard work you put out all year, and you deserve it.”
TC had that 14-zip halftime lead thanks to the Fiscus-Pyke hookup for 73 yards and a 62-yard TD sprint by Pyke.
Things got a little shaky when WD quarterback Austin Prather hit SamValencic for a 40-yard payoff and the two got together for a four-yard score to make it a 14-14 contest after three quarters.
But then came the biggest Trojan explosion, perhaps ever, a 33-point fourth quarter that included a 14-yard dash for six by Burke; TD runs of 65 and 11 by Pyke; Shaffer’s pickoff at the TC two and a 98-yard dash for a TD and finally, a 44-yard bolt by veteran senior lineman-converted fullback Jared Goodnight who also hit on five of seven PAT boots in his final home field appearance.
Goodnight chuckled and remarked: “I wasn’t sure where to line up in the backfield. All I know is I grabbed the ball and took off. One of their guys was chasing me, but [Jordan] Shaffer threw the block that sprung me. I knew he wasn’t going to catch me.”
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