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NTL FOOTBALL: TROY SCORES EARLY AND OFTEN AS THEY DOWN THE DEFENDING STATE CHAMPIONS SOUTHERN COLUMBIA (2024-11-09)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
Troy’s Lincoln Chimics took the opening kick-off 84-yards to pay dirt and Troy never looked back as they routed Southern Columbia 69-28 during the District IV, Class AA semifinal on Friday.

“It feels so good,” said Troy’s Evan Woodward. “I’m so excited right now.”

The Trojans led 26-0 at one point late in the second quarter but Southern rallied to make it 32-14 at the half. The Tigers appeared to get back into the game with a touchdown early in the second half for a 32-20 score, but the Trojans answered with 37 straight points to pull away for the win.

“This feels even better than anyone would expect,” Troy’s Lincoln Chimics remarked. “They’ve ended our season the past two years, and it just feels super great to advance.”

This will be the first time since 2016 that Southern Columbia will not be a state champion as they’d won seven Class AA state titles in a row, and eight of the last nine.

“Oh God it feels great,” Troy’s Jack Burbage said. “We’ve been waiting two years now since I’ve been playing. To finally get this win, it feels awesome.”

Everybody ate for Troy as Brendan Gilliland ran for 90-yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries, Woodward had eight carries for 143-yards and two scores, while Burbage had a 1-yard touchdown run.

Chimics had a kick-off return for a score, and a receiving touchdown, finishing with three catches for 81-yards, while Joseph Frye had a touchdown pass. Mason Smith had a kick-off return for a touchdown, and even the freshman Spencer Martin got into the act with a pick six.

“I felt like, coming into this game, we had an advantage on special teams,” said Troy coach Jim Smith. “Coach Roth has always had whole new kids in come in for his kick-off, his punt, and his kick return, and he’s lived by that, and I thought we had an advantage in that area. We’ve been very successful with our return game all year, and we were able to get a couple freebies, and it’s hard to recover from that. They’re a young team, a great program, but a young team, and I expect to see them back here in the playoffs again next year.”

Defensively Troy did enough to keep Southern from ever coming close to catching them after they got that early lead. The Tigers did run for 275-yards, and had the edge in first downs 18-16, but Troy’s offense was just too much for them to bear. By the middle of the third quarter the Tigers were broken.

“For us seniors this year it was personal because, last year, they took the seniors away from us,” Troy’s Eason Teribury said. “They were our best friends.”

Brayden Andrews had 106-yards rushing with a score on 23 carries for Southern while Ayden Hockenbrough had 47-yards and a touchdown on the ground off eight carries.

“We had to step up in the big moments,” Burbage said. “They’re a great team, they came out, they scored like we knew they were going to do. They made big plays, we just had to step up and make the big plays.”

Hockenbrough was 4-for-18 for 61-yards and a pick on the night, completing just one pass in the second half.

Chimics’ opening kick-off he took the ball on the right side, then found a big hole up the middle all the way to the end zone.

“It felt great to set the tone to come out hot,” Chimics said. “I feel like that carried our momentum through the game.”

Gavin Lykon-Leffler added the point after for a 7-0 lead 12 seconds into the game.

After a Southern Columbia 3-and-out Troy took over at the Tiger 35-yard line.

On the second play from scrimmage Smith ran 23-yards down to the six, where Gilliland finished off the 3-play scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.

The extra point was no good but the Trojans led 13-0 with 9:20 on the clock in the first quarter.

Southern’s ensuing drive ended in a punt, but Troy’s second drive came to an end after an interception.

The Tigers finally got their offense going in their third drive of the game, starting at their own 36-yard line.

They would use a 26-yard run from Joey Williams on the sixth play from scrimmage to get down inside the Troy 15-yard line.

Things stalled there as Andrews was caught in the backfield on the ensuing play. Three plays later on fourth down it appeared as Chimics ended the drive with an interception.

However, before the pick Troy was called for pass interference, but Southern was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty. They were able to replay fourth down, but this time it was 4th-and-16, with Troy forcing a turnover on downs.

Starting at their own 8-yard line the Trojans Ould go 92-yards on 14-plays while wasting 6:21 minutes on the clock.

They got two fourth down conversions, a 2-yard run by Gilliland inside their own 35, and then on a Chimics fake punt when it was 4th-and-5 at their 39-yard line.

“We watched film on, and no one really stayed home on their punts,” Chimics explained. “I ha day mind made up before the snap.”

His 7-yard run got the Trojans near mid-field.

That wasn’t his only big play on the drive, as three plays later Frye hit Chimics on a 37-yard pass play for a touchdown off a half back option.

Frye had to throw into the wind, but got it to an open Chimics, who shook the lone defender with a sudden stop before running it into the end zone.

“It was really just drawn up today,” Frye said about the play. “We’ve been practicing it a little bit in practice, but I didn’t expect to run it, honestly. It was great to get out there and just execute it.”

“It was awesome,” added Chimics. “Just to be in this opportunity to catch that and make a play, it just feels great.”

The 2-point conversion was no good as Troy led 19-0 with 4:32 left in the half.

It would be a busy finish to the half, as Southern would go 3-and-out.

Troy took over at their own 38-yard line, and only needed one play to score, a Woodward option keeper 62-yards up the gut untouched.

“I just saw a big hole, and I just ran as fast as I could,” said Woodward. “I felt slow. I couldn’t feel slower, but I made it.”

The 2-point conversion failed but Troy now led 25-0 with 3:29 left to play.

Southern would answer, though, taking over at midfield Andrews went 42-yards on a sweep down to the Troy 7-yard line.

Two plays later Cade Hopper punched it in from three yards out to get the Tigers on the scoreboard. The 2-point conversion failed as it was 25-6 with 2:30 left to play in the half.

The moment didn’t last for Southern as Smith took the ensuing kick-off 92-yards to the end zone. He started up the middle, then bounced out left to go up the sideline.

Lykon-Leffler added the point after, and it was 32-6 with 2:11 on the clock.

Southern had just enough time for one good drive. Starting at their own 41-yard line they would go 59-yards on 10 plays to get into the end zone on a Hockenbrough 1-yard sneak with 9.8 seconds on the clock.

Hockenbrough hit Jace Malakoski for the 2-point conversion for a 32-14 halftime score.

Southern came out strong in the second half. They got the ball, and, starting at their own 27-yard line, they went 73-yards on eight plays to get into the end zone.

It was a 46-yard scramble by Hockenbrough on third-and-7 down the right sideline that appeared to get the Tigers back into the contest.

The 2-point conversion failed but the Tigers were now down just 32-20 with 8:43 on the clock in the third quarter.

Troy would take over at their own 33-yard line, but they needed just three plays to answer, as on the third play from scrimmage Woodward, once again, called his own number on the option and went 57-yards untouched up the middle to the house.

“I kind of thought it might,” Woodward said if pulling the ball in on the option would work again. “I figured they might make an adjustment for it, but it ended up still working out.”

Gilliland punched in the 2-point conversion and it was 40-20 with 7:19 on the clock.

The back breaker came on Southern’s ensuing drive. Three plays in Martin stepped in front of a Hockenbrough pass, and took it 36-yards in the other direction for Troy’s seventh touchdown of the game.

“It’s awesome to see the young-in out there making plays,” Burbage said about Martin. “He’s been practicing all week, doing them plays, the same thing, and it worked out. I’m so proud of him.”

Much like their quick 1-2 punch to start the game, their 1-2 counter early in the second half was important to Smith.

“That was huge,” he said. “I was a little bit concerned with that, because they’re team that’s so successful, and their belief is such that they never give up. We said at halftime, 35 points is not enough on this football team, and we’ve got to keep the pedal down.”

Southern’s ensuing drive ended on a Burbage tackle for loss on third down, forcing the Tigers to punt.

They did appear to catch a break when Troy fumbled the ball back to them.

Starting at the Trojan 32-yard line Southern got in business as Hockenbrough hit Andrews for a 13-yard gain.

However, Jayden Kutt would catch Andrews for an 8-yard loss two plays later, and then on fourth day Gilliland sacked Hockenbrough to turn it over on downs.

Taking over at the Southern 34-yard line Troy needed just two plays to get into the end zone. The first was a 38-yard hook up from Woodward to Chimics, that was followed by a 28-yard scoring run by Gilliland.

Lykon-Leffler hit the point after for a 53-20 lead with 1:43 on the clock.

After another Southern punt Troy started the fourth with the ball at their 44-yard line. They would needed just five plays to get into the endzone on a 1-yard dive from Burbage.

It was a 37-yard pass play from Woodward to Burbage down to the 1-yard line that set that up.

Lykon-Leffler split the uprights on the point after and it was 60-20 Trojans as they put the Tigers into the mercy rule with 9:20 left in the game.

“I thought we were very capable of mercy ruling them,” Smith said. “I expected to do that tonight. That was our expectation, but having that expectation and to be able to carry through it is two different things. I’m just really proud that the kids executed it the way they did tonight.”

Troy would get a safety when a Southern punt attempt went awry thanks to a bad snap. The ball bounced out of the back of the end zone for a 62-20 Trojan lead.

Troy got the ball off the punt, starting at their 41-yard line. They would go 59-yards five plays, ending with a 5-yard Gilliland run.

Lykon-Leffler’s kick was good and Troy led 69-20 with 2:45 left to play.

Southern would end the game with a field good touchdown as Andrews ran it in from 8-yards out with 46.9 seconds left. Hockenbrough found Dominic Fetterolf in the back of the end zone for the 2-point conversion for the 69-28 final.

With the Tigers dispatched with Troy will now face sixth seed Warrior Run, who defeated Towanda, 43-20, in the other semifinal.

They’ll play back at Mansfield University next Friday with a 7 p.m. start for the District IV, Class AA title.

“I don’t know a whole lot about Warrior Run,” said Smith. “I’ve seen them on time on film, I know they’ve won a lot of football games. They’re a good football team. It’s a whole new challenge, I know they like to run the spread. They have some athletes, their defense seems to stand up to teams with athleticism like Loyalsock. We’re going to have to take a really good look at them. I think it’s important to not that we can celebrate this for just a little while, but then we really have to work hard so we don’t have a let down.”

TROY 69, SOUTHERN COLUMBIA 28

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

T: Lincoln Chimics 84-yard kick-off return (Gavin Lykon-Leffler kick), 11:48

T: Brendan Gilliland 6-yard run (kick failed), 9:20

Second Quarter

T: Joseph Frye 37-yard pass to Lincoln Chimics (2-point failed), 4:33

T: Evan Woodward 62-yard run (2-point failed), 3:29

S: Caden Hopper 3-yard run (2-point failed), 2:30

T: Mason Smith 92-yard kick-off return (2-point failed), 2:30

S: Ayden Hockenbroch 1-yard run (Hockenbroch pass to Jace Malakoski), :09.8

Third Quarter