MANSFIELD – After ending one of the all-time greatest streaks in Pennsylvania high school football history last week by knocking off Southern Columbia, Troy had to guard against a letdown in Friday’s District 4 Class AA championship game against an upstart Warrior Run team that was making its first-ever appearance in a district championship contest.
And while the Trojans did start a little slow, by the time the final horn went off, there was no doubt who the best team is in AA this season in District 4, and potentially the entire state.
Troy racked up 611 yards of total offense, including 524 on the ground, and the state’s top-ranked AA team blew open the game in the second half as the Trojans captured their third all-time district title, and first since 2013, with a 59-14 over Warrior Run.
“We played a little tight and tentative early. Sometimes when you’re the favorite, you play not to lose and you’re not loose but I felt as the game went on, we asserted ourselves and looked more like us and I’m proud of how they finished the game,” said Troy coach Jim Smith.
The win makes Troy the first District 4 AA champion not named Southern Columbia since Montoursville in 2014. Up until Troy’s win over the Tigers last week, Southern’s last loss in the district playoffs came to that Montoursville team in the district semifinals 10 years ago.
The Trojans advance to the state quarterfinals next week, where they will face District 5 champion Bedford. They will also have an opportunity to showcase the depth of District 4 behind Southern Columbia, which has ensured otherwise great teams – most notably Mount Carmel and Troy most recently – haven’t had a chance to get beyond districts for the last decade until this year.
“Double A football in District 4, I always say that the state champion goes through District 4. There’s a lot of small schools and teams like Southern and Mount Carmel have raised the bar and we’ve tried to emulate some of the things that those teams do in the way of strength and speed training and work ethic because that’s the only chance you have,” said Smith. “We’re proud to have come through the district like we have. I felt like if we didn’t beat Southern last week, they’d be right back in the state championship again. This week, the fear was a letdown after that because our sights were set on Southern all year but our kids really showed up tonight and I’m really proud of how tonight went.”
Troy made an initial onslaught on its first two possessions of the game, as quarterback Evan Woodward took a pair of read options 75 and 66 yards, respectively, for touchdowns, making it 12-0 less than halfway through the opening quarter after the PAT and two-point conversion failed after both touchdowns. Those two plays were a big part of Woodward’s final stat line, as the senior signal-caller finished with 197 rushing yards on nine carries and he also completed 5-of-7 passes for 87 yards.
The Defenders then got a 44-yard kickoff return by Sam Hall – one of the few times the dynamic receiver was able to find open space all night – and took advantage when Eli Butler capped a short, six-play, 36-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 12-7 with 2:23 left in the quarter.
Warrior Run was unable to take advantage of Troy’s only turnover of the night on the Trojans’ ensuing drive, as it was forced to punt. Troy also punted on its subsequent possession, but the Trojans then got the first break of the game when it was able to capitalize on the Defenders’ first turnover.
Lincoln Chimics picked off James Keifer at the Warrior Run 28, and four plays later, Brendan Gillilland punched it into the end zone behind a crushing lead block from fullback Kael Millard to make it 18-7.
“We had it at 12-7 and had some momentum and the kids were competing, the defense was playing great except for those long runs early, but then we didn’t do anything with the ball and then had a turnover,” said Warrior Run coach Derrick Zechman. “Troy is a hard team to game plan for. They’re hard to get a real look at their speed, and their quarterback does great with that read option. They’re a great team and a credit to them, but I’m so proud of my kids and how they fought all year. It says a lot about them.”
After another Warrior Run three-and-out and subsequent punt, Troy went 64 yards in seven plays, capped by another Gillilland touchdown run, this one from 19 yards to make it 25-7 heading into halftime.
Warrior Run was held to just four first downs in the first half, with three coming on their lone scoring drive.
“We did a really good job, there was an interference call and another penalty when they converted that aided in their score but otherwise I think we could have come out in the first half with a zero on the board (defensively),” said Smith. “But they got here because they’re a good football team and they’re great tacklers, very aggressive, and their expectations change after tonight. They’ve got some strong kids, some great athletes, a nice scheme and if they keep working, they’ll be back in a game like this soon. I like their team and what they’re doing.”
The Defenders appeared to have some momentum on their initial drive of the third quarter after receiving the second half kickoff, going all the way from their own 20 to the Troy 29, but Mason Smith picked off Keifer, making a great catch and barely touching his foot in bounds on the sideline to stop that drive.
The Trojans then went 82 yards in just six plays, capped by Millard’s four-yard touchdown, with Woodward flipping the field with a 36-yard pickup earlier in the drive.
The Defenders then committed another turnover, losing the ball at their own 35, and after being pushed back 15 yards with a penalty, Troy extended its lead to 39-7 when Woodward made a tremendous throw across the field, hitting Smith for a 51-yard touchdown.
Troy pushed the game into the mercy rule on its next drive, as Millard flipped field position with a 59-yard run before Jack Burbage punched it in from five yards out to make it 45-7 and put the game into the mercy rule.
Hall gave the Defenders another long kickoff return of 44 yards on the final play of the third quarter, and then got into space again, hauling in a receiver screen pass and then beating his defender one-on-one for a 43-yard touchdown, but that would be the extent of Warrior Run’s scoring for the remainder of the night. Hall, in his final high school outing, finished his career with a 211 all-purpose yard performance, as he notched a total of 112 kickoff return yards.
Gillilland scored his third touchdown of the night and put a cap on a 188-yard rushing performance by getting loose for a 47-yard touchdown run on Troy’s ensuing drive following Hall’s touchdown. Later in the fourth quarter, freshman quarterback Spencer Martin also got loose for a 46-yard touchdown to cap the scoring.
The game marked the seventh straight contest that the Trojans reached the 50-point mark, and they came just a single point shy of making it five straight games with 60 or more points scored. Troy has scored at least 41 points in 12 of 13 games this year, going over 50 nine times and over 60 five times.
Troy 59, Warrior Run 14
Warrior Run (8-5) 7 0 0 7 – 14
Troy (13-0) 12 13 20 14 – 59
First quarter
10:21 – (T) Evan Woodward 75-yard run (kick blocked), 3-78, 1:39
6:53 – (T) Evan Woodward 66-yard run (run failed), 4-80, 1:35
2:23 – (WR) Eli Butler 7-yard run (Hunter kick), 6-36, 4:30
Second quarter
6:58 – (T) Brendan Gillilland 9-yard run (pass failed), 4-28, 1:42
2:01 – (T) Brendan Gillilland 19-yard run (Lykon-Leffler kick), 7-64, 3:25
Third quarter
6:24 – (T) Kael Millard 4-yard run (Lykon-Leffler kick), 6-82, 1:47
3:31 – (T) Mason Smith 51-yard pass from Evan Woodward (Lykon-Leffler kick), 2-35, :39
:01 – (T) Jack Burbage 5-yard run (pass failed), 3-68, 1:13
Fourth quarter
9:33 – (WR) Sam Hall 43-yard pass from James Keifer (Hunter kick), 4-46, 2:28
7:49 – (T) Brendan Gillilland 42-yard run (Lykon-Leffler kick), 3-52, 1:44
3:20 – (T) Spencer Martin 46-yard run (Lykon-Leffler kick), 4-55, 2:15
Statistics
WR T
First downs 10 19
Rushes-net yards 25-60 37-524
Passing yardage 118 87
Passing 13-26-1-3 5-7-1-0
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 7-42 7-70
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Warrior Run: Eli Butler (14-49-1), Colby LeBarron (6-12), James Keifer (3-(-19)), Stone Allison (1-15), Sam Hall (1-3); Troy: Brendan Gillilland (13-188-3), Evan Woodward (9-197-2), Kael Millard (9-74-1), Spencer Martin (2-49-1), Jack Burbage (2-9-1), Mason Smith (2-7)
PASSING: Warrior Run: James Keifer (13-26-118-1-3); Troy: Evan Woodward (5-7-87-1-0)
RECEIVING: Warrior Run: Sam Hall (7-96-1), Stone Allison (2-8), Eli Butler (2-7), Tyler Ulrich (1-5), Cohen Zechman (1-2); Troy: Mason Smith (3-62-1), Reed Palmer (1-24), Lincoln Chimics (1-1)
