Northern Tier Sports ReportMANSFIELD — Wellsboro gave Troy a little fright early in the game but after that it was all treat for the Trojans as they rolled to 49-8 win in the opening round of the District IV, Class AA football playoffs Friday.
Mason Smith ran for 155-yards and four scores on 10 carries, while Brendan Gilliland added two touchdowns and 92-yards on 10 touches as Troy scored 49-straight points after the Hornets got the opening touchdown.
“We knew that Wellsboro would come out prepared, and they did a great job partway into the first quarter, and tested us a little bit,” said Troy coach Jimmy Smith. “It was good to see, and good to see our kids respond when Wellsboro made some plays early.”
Kael Millard chipped in with 51-yards rushing on eight carries while through the air Smith was 4-for-8 for 55-yards as five different Trojans caught passes.
Trey Teribury led the way with a 28-yard reception while Gilliland also had a 12-yard catch.
Griffin Morral was 13-for-29 for 127-yards and three interceptions to lead the Hornets while also running the ball 10 times for 105-yards and their lone score.
Morral opened up the scoring with a 73-yard touchdown run with 9:44 on the clock. The 2-point conversion was good and the Hornets led 8-0.
Troy responded four minutes later on a 36-yard run from Smith, with them tying it up on a 2-point conversion of their own.
A Gilliland 1-yard run with 52 seconds left in the opening quarter made it 14-8 after one.
Gilliland came back with a 60-yard run at the 9:05 mark of the second quarter as Gavin Lykon-Leffler’s kick was good for a 21-8 lead.
Smith then had back to back touchdown runs of 24-yards and 56-yards. Lykon-Leffler’s kicks were good for a 35-8 lead at the half.
Smith opened the third quarter scoring with a 23-yard scoring run, while they punched in the 2-point conversion to make it 43-8.
Troy’s final touchdown came on a Reed Palmer fumble return to the house. The kick was no good for the 49-8 final.
The Trojans will now travel to Warrior Run next Friday as the Defenders won 41-7 over South Williamsport.
“I haven’t had a chance to look at them, I know they’re a good team and they’re a confident team with a good quarterback and a big, physical line,” Smith said about Warrior Run. “They were a good team last year. In a way we know what to expect, and we’re just really excited for the opportunity to play a great opponent, and we’re excited to try to move on.”
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TROY 49, WELLSBORO 8
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
W: Griffin Morral 73-yard run (2-point conversion good), 9:44
T: Mason Smith 36-yard run (2-point conversion good), 5:32
T: Brendan Gilliland 1-yard run (kick failed), :52
Second Quarter
T: Brendan Gilliland 60-yard run (Gavin Lykon-Leffler kick), 9:05
T: Mason Smith 24-yard run (Lykon-Leffler), 3:22
T: Mason smith 56-yard run (Lykon-Leffler), 1:36
Third Quarter
T: Mason Smith 23-yard run (2-point conversion good), 9:35
T: Reed Palmer fumble return (kick failed), 7:33
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Wellsboro
Passing
Griffin Morral 13-29-127-0-3, Marek Mascho 0-3-0-0-0
Rushing
Griffin Morral 10-105-1, Cole Knapp 4-19, Dylan Copp 3-15, Marek Mascho 5-(-1)
Receiving
Marek Mascho 6-52, Max Mascho 4-43, Kody Enck 1-19, Gideon Lawton 2-13
Troy
Passing
Mason Smith 4-8-55-0-0, Spencer Martin 1-2-6-0-0
Rushing
Mason Smith 10-155-4, Brendan Gilliland 10-92-2, Kael Millard 8-51, Evan Allen 1-13, Bridon Putnam 2-12, Spencer Martin 4-6, Jayden Kutt 1-1, Landon Cole 1-1, Team 2-(-2)
Receiving
Trey Teribury 1-28, Brendan Gilliland 1-12, Spencer Martin 1-9, Kael Millard 1-6, Logan Heasley 1-6
TEAM STATS Wellsboro Troy
First Downs 16 17
Rushes/Yards 22/138 39/329
Passing Yards 127 61
Penalties/Yards 3/25 8/65
Turnovers 4 0
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PHOTOS BY LANCE LARCOM
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