Tri-County gets win after convincing second half

With half the season complete, Tri-County had yet to win a game. In four games, the Trojans scored a total of 48 points on offense, while giving up a whopping 280 points. They put all that out of their mind, going into Seymour on Sept. 22, and coming out a winner.

A rather quiet first quarter resulted in only one score, coming from a 45-yard pass for Seymour. Tri-County rebounded early in the second quarter with Tegon Fogle scoring from a yard out. Seymour went back to its playmakers, who scored two more times before the half.

"I told them to believe in each other and play with emotion," said Trojans coach Scott Edmundson.

They did just that, looking like a completely different team. The offensive line began to take more control, giving their running backs gaps to get down field. Fogle, Brayden Monroe and Cameron Krumm took advantage of the spacing, tearing off big chunks of yards.

Fogle capped off a drive mid-way through the third with a 15-yard run, narrowing the deficit to eight points. The defense fed off the new-found energy, and came up with a huge stop.

"A big turning point was getting an interception from freshman Dayton Pace," Edmundson said. "It was like seeing a switch being turned on for everyone."

The Trojans followed up the turnover with a big score, Monroe finding the end zone on a 25-yard run. They were still down by two points, but there was an evidence of new life.

"The look of desperation left their faces, replaced by confidence," Edmundson said. "As a coach, it's one of those moments where they finally get what you're talking about, and all the little lessons you teach start to show up on the field."

The defense stood their ground going forward, forcing more Seymour punts and allowing fewer first downs. The offense kept up the pace of play, a long 55-yard run from Krumm gave Tri-County the lead, and they never looked back.

Back and forth, the offense fueled the defense and vice versa. Tri-County finished out on a strong note as Monroe got another running score of 14 yards, and Krumm capped off the game with a 33-yard run.

"Our secondary stepped up and didn't allow any big plays over the top," Edmundson said. "The physicality of the game increased and we eliminated the mental mistakes."

Though the Trojans couldn't find anything consistent in the passing game, they didn't need it. Fogle accounted for 127 rushing yards, Krumm 114 and Monroe had 90 to lead the charge. The team's 353 rushing yards came close to outpacing Seymour's 367 total yards of offense.

Fogle and Krumm are also cornerstones on the Trojan defense. Fogle had a season high 15.5 tackles, a whopping 13 solo and assisting on a tackle for loss. Krumm hit double digits as well, recording 10.5 tackles, 10 solo, three for a loss of yards and one interception.

"Tegon helps out tremendously on defense, with his physical play and athleticism," Edmundson said. "This was the first game he was able to play for more than one half."

The 38 points put up by Tri-County were the most of the season, and second most in the past two seasons. The defensive unit also played their best game of the year, and only once last year did they allow fewer points in a game.

The Trojans may have turned the corner, with plenty of games remaining. The next step is to play all four quarters like they did in the second half win. With momentum on their side and new-found confidence, the Trojans will try and get another win for their Homecoming match on Sept. 29 against HLV.

"We're going to focus on the fundamentals this week," Edmundson said. "The biggest thing is that our kids will need to continue making a commitment to each other, make sacrifices along the way, and learn from mistakes."