NTL FOOTBALL: TROY SETS THE BAR HIGH FOR 2024 (2024-08-18)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
Troy football comes in with a lot going their way. They’re coming off a 12-1 year, which included an NTL title and undefeated regular season, they return key personnel at nearly every position, and they have plenty of motivation to get back to the district title game.

“It was an exciting year,” coach Jim Smith said about last season. “It was one of Troy’s monumental years in the history of Troy football, and it’s going to be a pretty tough thing to recreate, but we have a good core group of guys back. Last year’s loss in such a tight game with the defending state champions in Southern Columbia, the kids know how close they are, and they know how realistic an opportunity like that is. I feel like they’ve worked hard in the off season, and the senior leadership has been good. With a little bit of luck maybe we can give ourselves another opportunity at that chance.”

Signal caller Evan Woodward has returned. He threw of 1,353 yards with a .755 completion percentage, behind 22 touchdowns against three interceptions. He also ran for 371 yards and eight touchdowns on 32 carries.

“We’ve been looking forward to the season since last year,” Woodward said. “This year’s a new year, but hopefully we can do better things.”

Few players have logged as many minutes under center as Woodward, who took over the job late in his freshman year.

“He’s a great leader,” Smith said. “There’s not a lot he doesn’t know about the game. He’s humble, the kids follow his lead, and he’s got a great core group of athletes around him, so he shouldn’t feel like he’s got to take the whole workload.”

Troy ran for over 3,000 yards a year ago and return their biggest gainer in Brendan Gilliland. He pounded out 608 yards and nine touchdowns of 45 carries. He’s just one of seven backs who had over 100 yards on the ground last year that return.

Mason Smith will be looking to replace his brother, Clayton Smith, in the backfield. Mason ran for 365 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries. Charles Oldroyd may be another one to watch as he carried the ball 45 times for 337 yards and a touchdown in 2023.

Ultimately they’re only as good as the line in front of them, and that line brings back three of their five starters, including key returnee Avery Sens.

“It feels a little different,” Sens said about being the senior leader on the line now. “I’m used to looking up to people like Mason Imbt and Jed Feldmeier, but it feels good to have people look up to me, and have been able to carry them through.”

The Trojans pride themselves on their line play, and this year is no different.

“I’m definitely trying to motivate as many of the young guys as we can, trying to get them into as many reps as possible, on offense and defense,” Sens explained. “With everyone we have returned, and everyone that we have coming up I believe we’ll have a better outcome.”

They also return their biggest playmaker on the outside in Lincoln Chimics. Chimics caught 28 passes for 520 yards and nine touchdowns.

“The focus this year is winning games, winning a district title, and seeing how far we can go in the states,” said Chimics. 

He’s excited to play one more season with his fellow seniors. 

“It’s great but it’s tough because we have been playing for so long,” Chimics said. “It’ll be super fun.”

Smith feels they can be a dangerous team on offense, once again, as long as they stay healthy.

Defensively, they bring back seven of their 11 starters from last year’s team that allowed just 6.3 points per game.

Leading tackler JB Burbage, who finished with 71 tackles, is back, along with defensive end Eason Teribury, who had 31 tackles from that position. Gilliland finished with 46 tackles and six sacks a year ago.

In the defensive backfield Smith and Woodward had three interceptions apiece.

“We had the opportunity in the first 12 games to get so many guys experience,” said Smith. “I feel like the guys that are replacing some of our senior leaders from last year are already veterans, and they know what’s going on. They know the standard, and I’m really excited about our defense setting the tone again.”

What that tone is something Smith thinks about. With talent comes success and with success comes expectations, and those expectations haven’t gotten sky high in Troy this year.

“There’s a lot of pressure,” he said. “The kids feel that, and not only the pressure, but the work ethic that it takes to continue that grind; that’s something that takes special people to do that. We don’t have great numbers, and we never have on our football team, and part of that is the standard that is set. Not everybody wants to try to live up to that, I feel, but the kids that do really represent the people of our area and the people of our town, and the work ethic that is promoted. I’m very proud of that tradition that we’ve built.”

They have a unique opportunity in week two in playing one of the best teams in Delaware in Dover on a Saturday night in Wilmington as part of a 3-day showcase. They don’t exactly what to expect but the players are ready.

“That’s an experience of a lifetime,” said Woodward. “I’m grateful that we got the opportunity to go down there and play, hopefully we can perform down there.”

The one game they want to play, though, is a rematch with Southern Columbia. That’s a long ways off, but after last year’s close loss in the monsoon, they’re hungry to try again.

“You can’t live in the past, but at the same time, you’ve got a little chip on your shoulder,” explained Woodward.

The motivation is definitely there, though, despite their success. In fact, success fuels their motivation, especially for Sens, who took seventh in the state in the shot put this spring.

“Medaling in shot put last year gives me the feeling to go get a medal in states for football, too.”

ROSTER

Charles Oldroyd

Jayden Kutt

Lincoln Chimics

Spencer Martin

Ben Warburton

Lucas Norton

Trey Teribury

Garret Parks

Joseph Frye

Evan Allen

Evan Woodward

Mason Smith

Vinnie Colton

Ben Osgood

Noah Ellis

Toby Stanton

Reed Palmer

Brendan Gilliland

William Wilkinson

Jack Burbage

James Roy

Eya Heasley

Marucs Frisbie

Kael Millard

Roland Smith

Ty Spencer

Max Randall

Avery Sens

Seth Feldmeier

Micah Pesesky

Griffin Schanbacker

Camlan Cavanaugh

Bridon Putnam

Christian Pazzaglia

Camden Coyle

Anson Harris

Evan Slater

Kayden Vogel

James Dyke

Eason Teribury

Gavin Lykon-Leffler

SCHEDULE

Sep. 23 vs Sayre, 7 p.m.

Aug. 31 at Abessinio Stadium vs Dover, 8 p.m.

Sep. 6 vs South Williamsport, 7 p.m.

Sep. 14 vs Athens, 7 p.m.

Sep. 20 vs Towanda, 7 p.m.

Sep. 27 at Wyalusing, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4 at Wellsboro, 7 p.m.

Oct. 11 at NPM, 7 p.m.

Oct. 18 at Central Mountain, 7 p.m.

Oct. 25 vs Canton, 7 p.m.

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