The Trojans racked up 338 yards total offense and scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to roll to a 35-14 win over Godley in a Class 2A Division I bi-district football playoff game at Fort Worth Brewer Bear Stadium.
“This is real big,” said Troy running back Jeremy Conrad, whose Trojans (8-3) will face Winnsboro (9-2) in a Region II semifinal at 7:30 p.m. next Friday in Midlothian. “People doubted us at the beginning of the season and now we’ve got a bi-district win.”
The running trio of Conrad, Derrick Vasta and Cyrus McKenzie had the most to do with that. Each scored a touchdown, and they combined for 258 yards in keeping the Wildcat defense off balance most of the night.
“(Offensive coordinator) Ron Richmond does a good job of mixing things up,” Rowe said. “We wanted to go up the middle some then try to get outside on them.”
It was working with mixed results for most of the game, and the Trojans found themselves in a 14-all tie entering the fourth. But they also had the Wildcats right where they wanted them.
Midway through the third, the Trojans started a drive at their 20-yard line and were intentionally taking extra time in the huddle and using simple running plays to try to eat clock.
The simple running plays turned into first downs, and with 25 seconds to go in the third the Trojans had second-and-goal. They let the quarter end instead of attacking the tired Wildcat defense before it could catch its breath.
The reasoning was simple. They Trojans were facing the wind and could have it at their backs in the fourth.
“Both teams were playing field position,” Rowe said. “Godley did a good job in the first half. We did run out the clock there in case something happened and to get the wind to our back.”
How important was the wind? Neither team scored going against it, and the telling statistics were that on kicks with the wind the average starting field position was the 20 and against it, the 50. And on punts, both teams had kicks of 50 yards or more with the wind, but the farthest against it was a 32-yarder.
So on the first play of the fourth, Conrad ran a sweep to the right for a 4-yard TD and a 21-14 lead. Godley got to just past midfield on its next possession but ended up punting back to the Trojans, who began on their 20.
McKenzie and Conrad had runs of 26 and 41 yards, respectively, in a six-play drive that ended with McKenzie scoring from 2 yards out to give the Trojans a 28-14 lead.
“We felt like we were close to breaking some big ones in the first half,” Rowe said. “But they made some good shoestring tackles. We finally got it going in the second half.”
With 6:30 left in the game, Godley had little choice but to try to pass. But with the heavy wind, the passes were going for short yardage if they were caught at all. The Wildcats also went for it on fourth down twice, and both times they turned the ball back over to the Trojans.
“It wasn’t easy,” Conrad said of the running game. “We had to get it going, keep our patience. The coaches always tell us, ‘Don’t give up.’ Once we get the defense tired, (with) our conditioning the holes start opening up and the offense starts working.”
It was Conrad who might have gotten Troy the momentum going in the first half, although it happened with his arm and not his legs.
In a 7-7 tie and with Troy starting a drive late in the half at its 42, the Trojans ran a halfback pass play and Conrad found a wide-open Trey Collier for a 58-yard score, giving the Trojans a much-needed boost before the half.
“My first thought was just get it there,” Conrad said. “Then hopefully he catches it, because those are the ones you drop when you are wide open. We’ve been practicing that three or four weeks and it came up big for us in a playoff game."
mhood@temple-telegram.com
