NTL FOOTBALL: TROY WELCOMES WELLSBORO FOR HOMECOMING (2023-09-29)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
It’s homecoming week for Troy (5-0) as they put their undefeated record up against Wellsboro (2-3) during NTL football action Friday.

“Wellsboro has a young team that is improving every week,” said Troy coach Jim Smith. “Their older, experienced players are very good. Guys like (Ryder) Bowen and (Hayes) Campbell are some of the areas better players. They could end up with a very good season. I have. Much respect for their staff, and the program they have built. They will be prepared well, and will come to play. They will be physical. We have to treat this like another championship game. This isn’t a program to ever take lightly.”

The Trojans have lit the scoreboard on fire so far this year, amassing 62 points last week - 55 of them in the first half.

“We have a lot of different athletes that bring different skill sets to the table,” said Smith. “We need to continue doing a good job mixing different players through the offense. It makes us less predictable and that seems to have helped throughout the first half of the season.”

On the other side of the ball they’ll have to contend with Bowen at running back, who’s been the biggest source of aggravation for opposing teams.

“We need to focus on wrapping, and flying to the ball,” said Smith. “Bowen is a strong, thick kid who breaks tackles. We cannot afford to let him get going this Friday. We cannot let their best players beat us.”

KEYS TO THE GAME

Wellsboro - Play keep away. The best way to slow down Troy’s offense is to keep it off the field. That means long drives, with multiple first downs. Whatever it takes, but they’ll need to control the clock.

Troy - Keep penalties to a minimum. The way Troy is rolling the only thing that can stop them is themselves. At times penalties have allowed opposing teams to sustain drives, so they’ll want to nip that in the bud as they get ready for the playoffs.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Marek Mascho, Wellsboro, WR - Mascho has six catches for 81 yards so far this season. As teams gear up to stop Bowen and Campbell Mascho could find himself with more opportunities to make plays in this game.

Jack Burbage, Troy, LB - Burbage leads the team in tackles with 26. Throw in three sacks and he’s a big problem for opposing offenses. He’ll be key to slowing down the Hornet attack.

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