Junior Troopers round up Mustangs
BY GARY ERICKSON
After opening the season with two road wins, the Trooper Junior High football team hoped to enjoy some home cooking when they hosted the Surrey Mustangs Sept. 8. But the Troopers didn’t look like they were ready to eat in the first half as the Mustangs basically controlled the game and had the home team on their heels for most of the half.
The Troopers got the ball first and after a few short runs and a couple incomplete passes they turned the ball over on downs, unable to take advantage of a couple defensive penalties that had helped during the drive.
On their first possession, Surrey ran only two plays before the Trooper defense forced a fumble which was recovered by Eric Andrews, setting up the Trooper offense on the Surrey 48. But the drive never got any traction and Surrey got the ball back. They took over the line of scrimmage, winning the battle in the trenches as they pounded their way down the field. With only 10 seconds left in the half, the Mustangs punched it in from the 7 to get the game’s first score. The PAT failed and the half ended with a 6-0 Surrey lead.
The Mustangs got the ball to start the second half and the Trooper defense held, helped by an Andrews QB sack. After the Troopers took over, QB Treyson Iglehart got to the edge and ran 34 yards before a shoe string tackle brought him down on the 11. An 11 yard TD pass to Matt Jochim knotted the game at 6 but the PAT failed so with less than 2 quarters left, we had a new ballgame.
Surrey started their drive after the tying touchdown and moved about 35 yards before the Trooper defense stiffened and held, turning the ball over to the offense on the Trooper 23.
After a first down running play the Troopers went to the air. A 12 yard pass to Jochim was followed by a 60 yard bomb for the go-ahead touchdown as the clock struck zero in the third quarter. Brody Seidler hammered home the PAT and the Troop was on top 14-6.
The Mustangs started their next possession with a couple pass plays that were broken up by the Trooper defensive backs. The third down play was stuffed and the Troopers got the ball back on their 31 with 7:34 left in the game. The first play was an incomplete pass, stopping the clock. Then it was ground and pound time, hoping to gain not only yards but burn time off the clock. Jochim ran a reverse for 15, Grady Crawford ran for another 15, and Iglehart ran for 6 before Crawford was dropped for a 4 yard loss.
