Happy Valley trims Trinity Academy, 13-6
Published 1:28 am Saturday, October 26, 2019
Star Photo/Brandon Hyde Knights Thomas Brown looks to the sideline to see if he has enough for a first down as he's wrapped up by Warriors Andrew Little.
Star Photo/Brandon Hyde Running back Jordan Campbell for the Warriors looks for a hole versus a stingy Trinity Knights defense.
Star Photo/Brandon Hyde The Warriors try to bring down Thomas Brown for the Trinity Knights Friday night at Happy Valley.
Star Photo/Brandon Hyde Othneil Gardner for Trinity comes up with an interception against Happy Valley in Friday night's matchup.
Star Photo/Brandon Hyde Knights QB Titus Brooks looks for an open receiver Friday against Happy Valley.
Star Photo/Brandon Hyde Knights running back DD Butler goes airborne on a carry against the Warriors defense.
Star Photo/Brandon Hyde Will Tittle for Happy Valley is wrapped up by the Knights defense Friday night.
BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
Sloppy and penalty marred are the two words to describe the non-conference game on Warrior Hill on Friday night as Happy Valley took on Trinity Academy.
12 penalties were flagged altogether in the first half alone for 115 yards, but the Warriors still came away with a 13-6 victory over the Knights.
“We have had a lot of ugly wins this season,” Warriors head coach Jason Jarrett said. “But we are 7-2 and can win our conference and play a home playoff game.
“We play for all the marbles next week and as a coach, you really can’t ask for more than that. Our guys gotta buy-in and we came out of this game banged up.
“We have to get some guys healthy and put out the best effort out there next week.”
Trinity – stout defensively, but turnover-prone – lost two muffed punts to Happy Valley (7-2 overall) in the first period with the Warriors capitalizing on the first one from the Knights 15-yard line. Senior Will Tittle caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Will Ayers.
Tittle’s catch gave HV a 13-0 lead after the point-after kick was blocked.
The Warriors scored on their first possession – driving 65 yards on five plays – with Cameron Sloane scoring on a 10-yard pass from Ayers which gave Happy Valley a quick 7-0 lead after Cameron Cochran’s point-after kick.
Happy Valley had two drives stall on downs and another on an interception while Trinity had a pair of drives halted on downs as well as the three fumbles.
Trinity quarterback Titus Brooks completed 6-for-15 passing for 57 yards with an interception while Ayers was 7-for-14 for 52 yards and he also had a pick.
The Knights outgained HV on the ground 59-to-22 with Darien Butler rushing for 37 yards on six carries but 75 yards in penalties stopped the Knights from putting drives together.
Trinity got the ball to open the second half and the Knights ran off 11 plays before turning the ball over on downs at the HV 21-yard line. The Warriors could do little with the ball in the steady rain and punted back to Trinity who took over at midfield.
The Knights cashed in on the good field position and Brooks found Thomas Brown on a 22-yard touchdown pass to make it 13-6 after the pass for two failed.
The Knights ended the game with 14 penalties or 135 yards while the Warriors were flagged five times for 50 yards.
Trinity ended the contest with 234 yards of total offense – 119 on the ground – with Brooks completing 12-for-32 passes for 115 yards with two interceptions.
HV was unable to move the ball on the ground, rushing for just 68 yards on 35 carries. Ayers completed 7-of-14 passes for 52 yards as HV was held to just 120 yards of total offense.
“That’s an unbelievable athletic team,” Jarrett said of Trinity. “They fly to the ball and are very explosive offensively and we are fortunate to come away with this win.
“We knew this would be a tough game and our coaches got these guys ready for just that. It’s great for our seniors to be able to walk off this field with a win on senior night.
“My coaching staff does a great job each week in preparation and these kids buy-in and follow the senior leaders.”
Next week Happy Valley travels to South Greene for a chance to play for the Mountain East Conference championship.
—
Happy Valley 13-6
Trinity Academy 0 0 6 0 – 6
Happy Valley 13 0 0 0 – 13
Scoring summary
First Quarter
H – Sloane 10 pass from Ayers (Cochran kick) 9:05
H – Tittle 11 pass from Ayers (kick blocked) 4:56
Third Quarter
T – Brown 22 pass from Brooks (pass failed) 2:37
