![[Masthead]](http://www.stategazette.com/images/nameplate.png)
RSS
Print
Email link
Respond to editor
Post comment
Share link
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Furl
Reddit
Google
 |
Despite having a 6-0 lead with three minutes remaining in the playoff matchup, the Trojans stumbled in the final minutes, ending their season with a 14-6 loss to the Eagles.
"I thought we could take the ball down the field and score, but we fumbled and when you do that, you are setting yourself up for failure," said Trojan head coach Mark Schneider. "We have to move on, but hopefully we can learn from this, and build on it next year."
The normally explosive running attack was held quiet in the ballgame, thinks to great play by the Eagles, and of course a steady downpour that kept the ball and field slippery all game.
The Trojan defense played great for the first three quarters of play, shutting down an aggressive Munford running attack on nearly every attempt made by the Eagles.
"I thought we played very well on defense, but when we got the ball back on offense we just couldn't get any big plays," said Schneider.
Dyersburg picked up their only score of the game at the end of the first quarter when Trojan quarterback Will Bradshaw hooked up with wideout Aaron Gauldin for a 10-yard touchdown, which gave the Trojans an early 6-0 advantage.
Munford took advantage of a Trojan fumble late in the fourth quarter, and marched it in from 20-yards out on two plays, which gave the Eagles an 8-6 advantage with under three minutes left in the game.
The Trojans had a shot to win the game with under a minute left, when Bradshaw threw a perfect pass to a wide-open receiver, but unfortunately for Dyersburg the pass fell to the ground.
Munford took over on downs, and immediately put the game out of reach with a 25-yard touchdown run, which pushed the Trojan deficit to 14-6 with under a minute to play.
The Trojans made a valiant effort to tie the ballgame up, but the Munford defense held strong, which sealed the victory and ended Dyersburg's season.
Despite the loss, the Trojans finished the season with a 6-2 record, and a lot of promise going into next season.
"It has been a pleasure coaching these kids, you would like to go into competition with them, win or lose," said Schneider. "I don't care if we were 6-2 or 2-6, this has been a great group of high-quality kids."