Northern Tier Sports ReportATHENS — Troy had nearly 500 yards of total offense as they out last Athens, 51-35, during NTL football action Friday.
For three quarters it was back and forth but a couple of key Trojan interceptions, coupled with a 71-yard rushing touchdown from Brendan Gilliland on 4th-and-1 allowed the Trojans to get some separation late.
“This was a great experience,” Troy coach Jim Smith said about the contest.
“We told the kids we felt like that they weren’t going to be able to stop us on most of our possessions, and they didn’t,” Smith said. “So it was a matter of just making a play or two, and we felt like eventually we would. We got to play a lot of young kids in the secondary, and rotated a bunch of different kids through and that’s going to help us. We’re still trying to figure out what we are and who we are, and this is a good opportunity with the athletes they have, and (Connor) Davidson, and how he can throw the ball - it’s going to allow us to progress from here. We really haven’t seen that; in District IV power football is where it’s at, but you leave here and you’re dealing with this type of stuff.”
Gilliland returned for run for 256-yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries while Mason Smith added 137-yards and two scores on 14 touches.
Smith was also efficient in the pocket, going 6-for-8 for 84-yards.
“He’s one of the best athletes in District IV, he’s one of the fastest kids in District IV,” Coach Smith said. “He hasn’t played quarterback but he’s settling in. He’s a natural runner, he’s got a good arm. We haven’t really been in too many games where we felt comfortable really letting him go because he’s still developing. We played Waverly, and you can’t mess up there because they’re an elite team. Jersey Shore in our scrimmage is another elite football team, so when you’re playing teams like that you just can’t make mistakes.”
Kael Millard also rushed for two touchdowns on seven carries for 19 yards.
Trey Teribury had three catches for 42-yards while Gilliland finished with 32 yards receiving on two catches.
“We feel pretty good where we’re at on the ground, and that we can score a lot of points on everybody,” said Smith. “But if our passing game continues to progress, and it will, where we can afford to make some mistakes in some future games, then he’ll progress and that’ll make us better.”
Connor Davidson had a big night for Athens, running for 121-yards and two scores on 21 carries while also going 13-for-28 for 259-yards with two touchdowns and two picks.
James Friend (four catches, 80-yards) and Ryan Cook (two catches, 46-yards) both had receiving touchdowns. Gage Marmor had four receptions for 86-yards while Brendan Cooke had a 39-yard reception to go with 30 yards rushing.
“Defensively we’ve got to get a lot better,” Smith said. “We’ve got some holes, and we’ve got a lot of injured guys, and we’ve got to get those guys better for us to have a chance to have a run.”
Troy opened the scoring with a 10-play, 57-yard drive. A 3-yard run by Gilliland on 4th-and-2 at the Athens 38 kept things alive for Troy.
Then Smith had two big passes, a 10-yard pass to Josiah Pesesky to the Athens 25, followed by a 20-yard pass to Gilliland down to the Wildcat 1-yard line.
Millard punched it in from there, followed by Gavin Lykon-Leffler’s kick for a 7-0 lead with 6:49 left in the opening quarter.
Athens responded with a 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive of their own.
Davidson hit Friend for passes of 37 and 10 yards, then scrambled 11-yards to pay dirt. The kick after failed making for a 7-6 contest with 11:48 left in the second.
Athens would force a Troy turnover on downs, while their ensuing drive ended with a Fisher 29-yard field goal to give them the lead with 5:22 left in the half.
Troy’s third drive was a quick one as Smith ran 78-yards to the end zone on the second play from scrimmage. Lykon-Leffler hit the point after for a 14-9 contest with 4:16 on the clock.
The Wildcats responded with a quick hitting play of their own as Davidson found Cook for a 43-yard scoring strike on their second play of the drive. Fisher’s kick made it 16-14 with 3:57 left in the half.
Troy had the finals say of the half, though, as they went 10-plays to get Lykon-Leffler in position for a field goal.
He split the uprights from 38-yards with one second on the clock for a 17-16 Trojan lead at the break.
Athens would retake the lead early in the third as they went 11-plays down to the Troy 4-yard line. However, the Trojans kept them out of the end zone as the Wildcats settled for a 21-yard Fisher kick to make it 19-17 with 7:12 left.
A squib kick and Athens penalty gave Troy the ball at the Wildcat 39-yard line to start the ensuing drive.
Gilliland needed just two plays to score from there, a 17-yard run followed by a 22-yard scoring run to make it 23-19 with 5:39 left in the third.
The fast moving Wildcats punched back in their ensuing drive, which started with a Davidson 39-yard run to the Trojan 20.
Five plays later he hit Friend on a short slant for a 3-yard touchdown pass, making it 26-23 after the Fisher kick with 2:51 left in the third.
Troy came back with a 9-play scoring drive that went into the fourth quarter.
Smith carried the load this time with runs of 15 and 22 yards, while also hitting Teribury for 16 and 17 yard strikes.
Millard finished things off with a 2-yard run to make it 30-26 after the Lykon-Leffler kick with 10:11 left in the game.
Athens’ ensuing drive ended with a Logunn Heasley interception at the Troy 24-yard line. Three plays later Gilliland ran off 62-yards for a touchdown to make it 37-26 with 7:17 left in the game.
Athens recovered as Davidson hit Marmor for 52-yard pass play down to the Trojan 11-yard line. The Wildcats got as close as the five before getting stopped and settling for a 22-yard Fisher kick to make it a 37-29 game with 3:43 left.
Then came the game changing play. On third-and-1 the Wildcats were able to stuff Millard, forcing a fourth-and-short, but Gilliland used a second effort to not only get the first down but also the 71-yard score to make it 44-29 with 3:43 left to play.
“Brendan is an elite player,” said Smith. “He was Eastern Pa Player of the Year. There’s not a kid in our district that has a kid like him on their team. We’re very fortunate to have him, and that’s what Division-I level kids do, they make plays when you think you have them bottled up.”
A Mason Smith interception on Athens’ next drive set up a 5-yard scoring run by Smith with 1:37 on the clock to make it 51-29.
As time expired Davidson punched one in from a yard out to make it a 51-35 final.
Troy (3-1) continues their early season road trip at Towanda next Friday.
— —
PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON
— —
TROY 51, ATHENS 35
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
T: Kael Millard 1-yard run (Gavin Lykon-Leffler kick), 6:49
Second Quarter
A: Connor Davidson 11-yard run (Zachary Fisher kick), 11:48
A: Zachary Fisher 29-yard field goal, 5:22
T: Mason Smith 78-yard run (Lykon-Leffler kick), 4:16
A: Ryan Cook 43-yard pass from Connor Davidson (Fisher kick), 3:57
T: Gavin Lykon-Leffler 38-yard field goal, :01
Third Quarter
A: Zachary Fisher 21-yard field goal, 7:12
T: Brendan Gilliland 22-yard run (failed), 5:39
A: James Friend 3-yard pass from Connor Davidson (Fisher kick), 2:51
Fourth Quarter
T: Kael Millard 2-yard run (Lykon-Leffler kick), 10:11
T: Brendan Gilliland 62-yard run (Lykon-Leffler kick), 7:17
A: Zachary Fisher 22-yard kick, 3:43
T: Brendan Gilliland 71-yard run (Lykon-Leffler kick), 3:43
T: Mason Smith 5-yard run (Lykon-Leffler kick), 1:37
A: Connor Davidson 1-yard run (conversion failed), :00
Individual Stats
Troy
Rushing
Brendan Gilliland 21-256-3, Mason Smith 14-137-2, Kael Millard 7-19-2
Passing
Mason Smith 6-8-84-0-0
Receiving
Trey Teribury 3-42, Brendan Gilliland 2-32, Josiah Pesesky 1-10
Athens
Rushing
Connor Davidson 21-121-2, Brendan Cooke 8-30, Karson Sipley 1-1
Passing
Connor Davidson 13-28-259-2-2
Receiving
Gage Marmor 4-86-0, James Friend 4-80-1, Ryan Cook 2-46-1, Brendan Cooke 1-39, Sean Peters 2-8
Team Stats Troy Athens
First Downs 23 21
Rushes/Yards 42/412 30/152
Passing Yards 84 259
Fumbles/Lost 0/0 1/0
Penalties/Yards 3/40 6/48
Interceptions: Troy (Logunn Heasley, Mason Smith)
— —
SHOWCASE:
Your athlete works hard, and their dedication deserves to be seen. With Showcase by Circle W Sports, you can give your child a professional, online presence that stands out to college coaches and recruiters. Whether your child is aiming for a college roster or just wants to proudly showcase their journey, Showcase helps tell their story the right way. Use code "VSR" to receive a two-week free trial when you sign up for Showcase before September 8th."
