Trojans' Comeback Falls Short

The first half was too much of Lane Roberts, the Calvary Christian senior running back, who staked the Warriors to a 42-26 first-half lead running for five touchdowns and over 200 yards. Roberts left the game after halftime only to return late in the fourth quarter after Lely had closed the gap to four points. Though he was not the same back who Lely had no answer for in the first half, he was able to help his team escape Trojan Stadium with a four point win.

"Big physical runner,” said Ben Hammer, Lely coach. "Their offensive line is gigantic. They're well coached. They're a good football team. They played a good game tonight.”

Lely looked like a different team when they came out in the second half. And Calvary Christian was definitely a different team without Roberts for the third quarter and much of the fourth. The Trojan defense posted a second half shutout after being blitzed in the first half.

"Our defensive staff really made some fantastic adjustments,” Hammer said. “Our coaches did a great job changing one thing on the front end around, one thing on the back end around that really allowed us to have a lot more success, especially between the tackles.”

Of course Lely’s leading rusher, junior Nino Joseph, did his job, picking up 251 hard-earned yards and two touchdowns, to keep the Trojans in the game. Sophomore quarterback Brady Quinn completed 16 of 32 for 288 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

“We had some big plays in our passing game,” Hammer said. "We had a couple drops, but it happens. Our kids played hard. They played their hearts out. We had two turnovers on special teams. Two on offense. Gave them a couple penalties that we didn't need to give them. We really are a great football team, we've just got to make sure that we fix those things.”

Though they were giving up a lot of real estate on the ground, and points on the scoreboard in the first half, the Trojans seemed to be physically wearing down the Warriors. That showed up in the second half of a game that was played in hot, humid conditions.

"We did wear them down,” Hammer said. "And that's kind of what we're trying to do. That’s the type of game we're trying to play, drive the play count way up and make kids play a longer game."

Hammer was proud of the way his players performed.

“Zephaniah Diamond played well,” he said. "Obviously, Nino played well. Aiden Herrera seemed to play well. Noah Brown seemed to play well. Then we had a couple offensive linemen, Jeremiah Dieudonne and Enderson Sagesse, play both ways a little bit. They seemed to do a nice job.”

Hammer also moved his outstanding offensive weapon, Ty Collins, to help out on the defensive side of the ball. Collins ended up with seven tackles in the second half.

"Ty's got a nose for the ball,” Hammer said. "He's a tremendous athlete and will do anything we ask him to do.”

The good news for the Trojans, in addition to their improved second half play, is that the Warriors are not a district foe. Hammer was also impressed with the fight in his team after getting beaten up in the first half.

"We talk about adversity all the time,” he said, "and how we should almost celebrate it and how there's no lead that's insurmountable with the pace that we play at and the things that we're trying to do. You learn from everything. You learn from wins. You learn from losses. The objective, I guess, is just to get better. And now get ready for Gulf Coast next week."

Hammer learned some things about his team Friday night.

“They've got a ton of resiliency,” he said. "A couple more minutes on the clock, one or two more balls bounce our way, and we're in the win column. But at the same time, we don't believe or live in the world of hypotheticals or moral victories.”

Lely (1-1) hosts Gulf Coast (1-1) on Friday, September 5, at 7:30, in a non-district matchup. Gulf Coast opened its season with a 26-16 win over Charlotte, then dropped a 25-22 decision to Bartow. The Sharks appear to be a run-heavy team, with only one touchdown pass and 217 yards through the air in their first two games. Lely, on the other hand, is putting up video game-like numbers: Quinn has thrown for 603 yards and nine touchdowns. Joseph has picked up 396 yards at 10.7 yards per carry. Diamond leads the receiving corps with 255 yards and three touchdowns.