TROY—Things got tough for the Tigers in their second district contest as Troy’s Kadyn Martinez put the Trojans back ahead, 27-20 with a little more than three minutes left in the game.
However, Tiger fight never died as De’Andre Stephens, Tim Grice and Riley Spears got the Blue-and-Gold in ideal field position. This led to Rockdale tying the game at 27 on a seven- yard run by Blaydn Barcak.
With exactly two minutes left in the game, what ensued would be the pinnacle of their season through the team’s first six games.
Near the Rockdale 30 with 47 seconds to go, Troy elected to punt on fourth down. The ball, punted by Tyler McKissick, didn’t even have a chance to fly in the air as RHS junior Isaiah Sauls blocked the ball and took it to the end zone, scoring another six points for the Tigers. A successful extra point by Daniel Romero put the Blue-and-Gold ahead 34-27.
Troy got the ball back, but RHS clinched the victory when linebacker Cade Pantaleon intercepted the ball with eight seconds left and ran out the clock. Tiger fans, players and coaches all erupted in celebration, as the team picked up their first district win.
Following the game, Tiger head coach Jacob Campsey had a multitude of praise for his team’s effort throughout the evening, but particularly in the game’s final moments.
“We get a drive with three minutes to go and we go on to win the game,” Campsey said. “That’s what championship teams do. They figure out ways to win when things aren’t going well.”
“There was just no quit,” he added. “I think it speaks to the character, what the kids are about and what the coaches are about.”
The third-year Tiger coach also complimented Troy, who has been known to make things difficult for RHS teams of the past. Rockdale beat Troy in overtime last season in order to get the district’s final playoff spot.
“It’s always tough to win in Troy,” he said. “They take pride in their football and they do a great job. Coach Stephen Hermesmeyer is tremendous. You always know when you play Troy, that it’s always going to be physical.”
The Tigers were also without top receiver Robert Owens and Cruz San Migel, the team’s safety. Both suffered concussions during last week’s game with Franklin and were following protocols.
In their absence, running back Kemar Spencer switched to defense and led the team in tackles with 15. Gerren Marrero, who routinely starts on defense, caught two touchdowns this past Friday.
“A lot of teams in the state would have said ‘let’s try again next year,’ but that’s not what these kids do,” Campsey said. “They believe they can win when they step on the field and it’s fun to watch.”
GAME— Earlier in the night, both teams struggled to score in the opening quarter as neither was able to get the ball into the red zone. That changed less than two minutes into the second as Troy’s Reed Ketcham barely caught a 32-yard pass from quarterback Ethan Sorenson to score the game’s first points.
The Trojans increased their lead not too long after that when Sorenson threw a short TD pass to Cooper Valle with 8:07 left in the first half. THS missed the second PAT (point-after-touchdown), leading 13-0.
Rockdale picked up the slack later in the quarter. First, Tim Grice ran in a 20-yard TD with 4:11 remaining in the quarter. Then, the Blue-and-Gold ended the half with a jolt of momentum, as Marrero scored his first TD of the year on a 12-yard pass from Barcak. At halftime, the game was tied at 13.
Troy’s Valle scored the only points of the third quarter on a 29-yard pass from Sorenson, putting THS back up, 20-13.
Marrero retaliated six seconds into the fourth on an eight-yard TD pass from Barcak, evening the score at 20-20. This was the last bit of scoring before the final three minutes of the game referenced in the beginning of the story.
STATS— Barcak was 10 of 19, with 137 yards in the air while picking up another 29 on the ground, scoring three touchdowns overall.
Grice led the team in rushing, with 67 yards on 13 carries, while also leading the team in receiving with 73 yards on five catches.
THIS WEEK— The Blueand- Gold are back at Tiger Stadium on Friday, where they will face Lorena.
The Leopards, who won a Class 3A-I state championship last season, began the season ranked third overall but began district play with a 48-44 loss at home to Cameron.
Since then, LHS defeated Academy on the road, 40-17 and are coming off 49-21 victory in McGregor.
Lorena still has play-making receivers Kasen Taylor and Jadon Porter, but LHS has just one other starter returning from last year’s title-winning team and only five players back on offense.
“With Lorena coming, it’s going to be pretty tough at our house and our kids are going to be ready to go in that one,” Campsey said. “We don’t care what we are or what we have been. It’s all about next Friday night.”
SEASON— The Tigers are 1-1 in district play, and have an overall record of 2-4. They began the season with a 38-29 win overall Teague but struggled in the weeks after with losses to top-ranked Lexington, Class 4A-I Taylor and Tuscola-Jim Ned, a perennial power only 22 months removed from their last state championship. Before facing Troy, RHS held their own against top-ranked Franklin.
Lorena at Rockdale
at Tiger Stadium
Kick-off: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets available online on Ticket Spicket app.
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