Even if they didn’t get on the scoreboard Friday night.
Troy was forced to settle for a share of the District 16-2A title - the Trojans’ first such championship since 1998 - with McGregor as the Bulldogs did all of their scoring in the second half to come away with a 19-0 victory at Trojan Stadium.
Regardless of the outcome, the 7-3 Trojans enter the Division I playoff bracket and will face Godley at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Brewer Bear Stadium in Fort Worth. McGregor (8-2) will take on Maypearl in Duncanville on Friday.
“It’s not the way we wanted to go into the playoffs,” Troy coach Grady Rowe said. “(McGregor) was a good football team. We just made a few too many crucial errors.”
McGregor quarterback Larry Smith scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and threw for one as the Bulldogs simply began to crack the interior of the Trojan defense in the second half after a scoreless first half.
“It was just a matter of staying on task,” McGregor coach Tim Seward said. “The kids did a great job of taking what they were giving us.”
It was the athletic Smith who took charge and put the Bulldogs on the board with an electrifying 60-yard run at the 4:32 mark of the third quarter. It was only the third play of an 82-yard drive. Smith rolled right and kept on the option, cutting back upfield, splitting Trojan defenders and racing virtually untouched to the end zone to make it a 7-0 game.
“That quarterback is a heck of an athlete,” Rowe said. “It was just a matter of time before he broke loose.”
Smith rushed for 145 yards on 18 carries and threw for 48 yards in the Bulldogs’ ground-oriented attack.
The Bulldogs added six more points early in the fourth quarter on a bit more methodical drive. McGregor stayed on the ground for all nine plays of a 61-yard march. Smith carried five times for 48 of those yards and finished it off with a 6-yard keeper around right end. The extra point was blocked to remain at 13-0 with 10:01 to play.
A Sean Chappell interception led to the Bulldogs’ final score several minutes later. Smith scrambled and avoided a rush before finding Raul Olvera behind the secondary for a 32-yard scoring strike with 4:04 to play.
Troy simply could not sustain enough of a drive to threaten the end zone. Brandon Clark’s 39-yard field-goal attempt hooked just left of the uprights late in the scoreless 42-minute first half.
Jeremy Conrad erupted for 46 yards on the first play of the second half to put the Trojans at the McGregor 23, but a fumble on the next play ended the threat. Troy moved to the McGregor 25 in the fourth, but Chappell’s interception stopped the Trojans in their tracks.
McGregor rang up 218 rushing yards compared to 171 for the Trojans. Dylan Sebek was 7-of-16 passing for 60 yards for the Trojans.
“It’s a great feeling to win and beat a really good football team,” Seward said. “To shutout a quality team like Troy says a lot about our kids.”
The Trojans didn’t get the boost they would have liked going into the postseason but are glad to be going with a title in hand.
“Our kids fought hard and accomplished something we haven’t done in 10 years,” Rowe said. “We would rather not be sharing it, though.”
twaits@temple-telegram.com
