MORGANTOWN — In just three short seasons, the No. 10-ranked Trinity football program has risen from the bottom of the Class A rankings all the way to Friday night’s Senior Night final regular season game that essentially doubled as a play-in playoff game against perennial powerhouse No. 14 Madonna.
So (cue the dramatic NFL Films music), on the frozen tundra of Trinity Field — well, it might not have been frozen, but it was pretty chilly out — both teams laid all their postseason hopes and dreams on the line, and when it was all over, the surprising Warriors scored on every first-half possession, bursting out to a 24-0 bulge, then held off a late MHS rally for a historic, playoff-clinching 31-14 victory.
Trinity (7-2) took advantage of a defensive three-and-out plus a poor punt to start its first offensive possession on the Madonna (6-3) 43-yard line, and it took just two plays to dent the scoreboard. A 16-yard pass from Jaylon Hill to Carmelo Kniska got them closer, and another connection between the two sophomores finished the job, thanks to an ankle-breaking stop-and-go move along the sideline from the shifty Kniska. The Blue Dons came back with a nine-play drive, but a 4th-down pass that would’ve been a sure score was dropped.
The much-improved Warriors offense turned that drop into a 14-point swing with an impressive 10-play, 65-yard drive, punctuated by Hill’s 4-yard run. Another long Madonna drive was turned over on downs, and Trinity’s Kyle Knight later drilled a 26-yard field goal to make it 17-0. Once again, on their next drive, the Blue Dons’ foray deep into Trinity territory was thwarted by Anthony Finn’s interception and 49-yard return. With 3:05 on the clock, Hill engineered another TD drive and consumed all but 14 seconds of the clock, finishing it off with a 14-yard pass to Kniska yet again.
It would take an enormous effort for Madonna to turn this one around, and the beginning of the third quarter couldn’t have been scripted any better for the visitors. Its defense finally stopped the Warriors, then running back Seth Humberson shredded the TCS defense for several long gains, leading to his 4-yard TD run and 2-point conversion run.
Suddenly, it was a two-possession game, and when Trinity fumbled on its own 37, it was a whole new ballgame. However, the opportunistic TCS defense made another huge play when Knight jumped a crossing route at the goal line, and appeared to complete a stunning pick-6, but a penalty brought the ball back to midfield. The Warriors were forced to punt, then recovered the Madonna muff. However, Knight’s 25-yard field goal attempt was blocked, and the third quarter ended with the score 24-8.
With the ball on their own 10, and fighting for its playoff lives, Madonna somehow converted a 4th-and-32 pass to put the pressure on the Trinity defense. And once again, a defensive back — this time junior Ethan Jorge — made a huge play, stepping in front of a much taller receiver on a long pass near the goal line for a clutch interception to squelch the Blue Dons as they tried to pull closer.
Although Madonna was later able to score on a Humberton TD buck from the 4, the 2-point try was stopped, leaving the Warriors up by 10 with just under four minutes on the clock. And when Levi Teets raced in from the 8-yard line to make it 31-14, the orders for Trinity playoff T-shirts were already piling up.
After the game, a euphoric Hill, who finished his efficient, turnover-free night 18 of 22 for 163 yards and a pair of passing TDs, plus a rushing score, said the game plan and his offensive line made all the difference.
“Our bubble screens worked great,” he said “We thought we could use our speed on the edges. They gave me time, our guys got open and we got the job done. We’re in the playoffs and it feels amazing.”
Assistant coach Mike McKenzie, who replaced head coach Chris Simpson after his one-game suspension following last week’s loss at Cameron, couldn’t have been prouder of his team.
“Chris told me early this week that I’d have the team tonight,” he said, after Simpson was disciplined for pulling his team off the field against the Dragons follow accusations of unsportsmanlike play and racial slurs. “The kids said that coach Simpson had their backs last week, so they wanted to make sure that they had his back this week.
“I was here when we lost eight straight games our first season, so to see how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time shows you what hard work, commitment, talent, and heart can accomplish. We’re just super proud of everybody, especially our seniors (Finn, Evan Rice, Josiah Sheffstall, and Jack Burrell). We’ll enjoy this, then get ready to keep our season going next week, and as long as we can find 15 or 16 healthy helmets to send out there, I like our chances.”
Madonna (6-4) 0 0 8 6 – 14
Trinity (7-2) 14 10 0 7 – 31
1st Q – TC – Carmelo Kniska 25 pass from Jaylon Hill (Kyle Knight kick)
TC – Jaylon Hill 4 run (Knight kick)
2nd Q TC – Knight 26 FG
TC – Kniska 14 pass from Hill (Knight kick)
3rd Q MHS – Seth Humberson 4 run (Humberson run)
4th Q MHS – Humberson 4 run (try failed)
TC – Levi Teets 8 run (Knight kick)
PASSING
MHS – Santino Arlia 12-29-3 200
TC – Hill 18-22-0 163 2TD
RUSHING
MHS – Arlia 8-(-2), Humberson 19-126 2TD, Luca Muzzy 1-10 Total 28-134 2TD.
TC – Hill 5-7 TD, Teets 13-74 TD, Knight 3-10, Anthony Finn 4-27, Kniska 1-(-2) Total 26-116 2TD.
RECEIVING
MHS – Evan Quering 4-53, Humberton 1-(-4), Muzzi 1-32, Coleton Littleton 1-34, Koleton Grishkevich 1-6, Chase Littleton 4-79.
TC – Brady Summers 1-32, Teets 5-29, Knight 3-15, Kniska 9-87 2TD
INTERCEPTION
TC – 3 (Finn, Knight, Ethan Jorge)
