NTL FOOTBALL: TROY POSTS DOMINANT 2023 SEASON (2023-11-26)

Northern Tier Sports Report
Troy football had one of the most dominating seasons in school history this past fall. They went 12-1 on the year, with all 12 wins getting into the mercy rule.

In their 10-0 regular season performance Troy out scored the opposition 484-68, opening the season with a 56-21 win over District VI power Juniata, who made the state quarterfinals. 

They followed that up with a 38-7 win over Montoursville, then picked up five straight divisional wins against NP-Mansfield (52-13), Wyalusing (41-7), Athens (62-6), Wellsboro (51-7), and Towanda (37-0).

That was followed by a win over Northwest (51-0), while in week nine they got revenge against Loyalsock (44-7), who edged them the year before.

Troy would end the regular season with a 52-0 win over Canton to take back the Old Shoe and claim their first league title since 2019.

Earning the top see for districts, they opened with a 36-0 win over Hughesville, then shutout Line Mountain, 44-0, in the semifinals.

In a pouring rain the Trojans fell to defending state champions, Southern Columbia (14-0), who has reached the state final four.

Offensively Evan Woodward was about as efficient at the quarterback spot as it gets, throwing for 1,353 yards on a .755 completion rate. He had 22 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

The Trojans ran for over 3,000 yards and for 47 touchdowns, led by Brendan Gilliland (45 carries, 608 yards, nine touchdowns), while Clayton Smith (60 carries, 416 yards, seven touchdowns) returned from injury to take the bulk of the snaps in the playoffs.

All in all, 10 different players had over 100 yards rushing on the season for the Trojans.

Four different receivers had over 100 yards on the year, too, led by Lincoln Chimics’s 520 yards and nine touchdowns on 28 receptions. Camryn Harwick added 29 catches for 466 yards and five scores. Gilliland also had eight receiving touchdowns.

JB Burbage led the team in tackles with 71, while Jackson Taylor had 57. Taylor led the team with eight sacks, while Gilliland had six.

Harwick and Mason Smith had three interceptions each for the Trojans.

Even their kicker, Brady Spalding, had a good season, going 54-for-61 on extra points, and 5-for-6 on field goals, including a season long of 39 yards.

While they didn’t get as far as they would have liked, they’d gotten further than they had in the past decade.

They also say good-bye to some key seniors, such as Smith, Taylor, and Harwick, plus linemen Jed Feldmeier and Shaun Wood.

However, they return plenty of skill players and linemen alike, so don’t be surprised if the Trojans are in a similar position next season.

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