NTL FOOTBALL: TROY HITS THE ROAD TO NP-MANSFIELD (2024-10-11)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
Troy (7-0) is currently pulling away with the top seed in the District IV, Class AA playoffs while NP-Mansfield (2-5) has lost their last two games.

NPM has pulled off a couple surprises this season, including a win over Athens, so they’ve shown they’re capable.

“Stopping NP this week starts and ends with stopping Cooper Shaw,” said Troy coach Jimmy Smith. “He is a big, physical kid with a great arm. He is a good leader and has been the focus of their offense, keeping them very competitive all year long. We are excited for the challenge.”

Troy scored 50 points last week, the fourth time this season they’ve hit 50 or more in a game. Still, the coaches are imploring the players not to take anything for granted.

“It’s important to treat every game like a championship game,” Smith said. “We haven’t always been good at that despite the lopsided scores. Sometimes we struggle with that, lose focus and become sloppy. We are trying to work on that focus because at some point we will have to be near perfect to pull out a game.”

KEYS TO THE GAME

Troy — Keep spreading the ball around. The Trojans keep finding offensive weapons - earlier this year it was Kael Millard stepping up, recently Reed Palmer at the tight end position has been making a name for himself. Troy coaches have to be giddy at the different ways they can attack opposing defenses.

NP-Mansfield — Hold on to the ball as long as possible. It’s been the only antidote against Troy so far this season. Shaw is the type of back that can bully his way for a few yards to extend drives, the Panthers should look to do that to shorten the game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Reed Palmer, Troy, TE — Palmer only has three catches on the season but two are for touchdowns, and he’s averaging 30-yards per catch. He’s also won the biggest players on the field, so he’s hard to miss.

Brayden Pequignot, NPM, LB — Pequignot leads the team in tackles, and will likely be very busy trying to chase down Troy players all over the field. He’ll need to have a good game to keep the Trojans out of the end zone.

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