Trojans Fall to Nationally Ranked Holmes, 52-21

By Mark H. Stowers

Another tough week in the MACCC as the Trojans (1-6 overall and 0-3 MACCC) traveled to Goodman for a tangle with the #8 nationally ranked Holmes Community College Bulldogs (7-0 overall and 3-0 MACCC.) The Trojans didn't have enough in their arsenal and early mistakes and strange penalties doomed them to loss number six on the season. MDCC Head Coach Tavares Johnson was pleased with his offense hanging onto the football this week.

"We didn't turn the ball over as much - one interception and one fumble - but we had a bunch of busted coverages on defense," Coach Johnson said. "We've got to learn to finish. We had them in third and long and then they scored a touchdown."

With a young team - an average age of 17.5 - Coach Johnson is working overtime to help them grow and understand and keep them all moving forward.

"The ball has been bouncing everywhere. But we got to get the bounce our way. We've got to create our own fortune. But, you know, one thing I can say, for a period of time, the guys played hard. And then we've just got to learn how to overcome adversity."

The Trojans have improved offensively according to Coach Johnson.

"We couldn't generate any offense last year. But we're able to generate offense this year. And so we're slowly but surely taking the correct steps. I mean, slower than what I want, but it's a process. And I just got to keep my head to the grindstone, keep the guys focused. And just continue to work to try to get better every day, man. Just try to take it one game at a time. We can't afford to look ahead at nobody."

The Trojans host another tough foe this week, the Northwest Rangers who are sporting a 5-1 overall and 3-0 MACCC record and oh, a #7 national ranking in the NJCAA.

"I expect Northwest to be Northwest. They're going to utilize those five guys up front. They're going to try to establish a run on offense. And they're going to play their big front on defense. They've got three big monsters up front, control the line of scrimmage. And play sound in the secondary game. That's their M.O. - been doing it for years since they've been winning the championships. To beat them, you've got to be able to establish a run game and have a good play-action game to get those three safeties to come down and support the run."

The Trojans host the Rangers on Thursday, October 17th but the game time is 7:00 p.m.

In the Holmes matchup, the Trojans racked up 337 yards of total offense in a balanced attack - 176 rushing and 161 passing. But the Trojan defense gave up 532 yards of offense to the Bulldogs. In the first quarter, the Bulldogs scored on a 51-yard TD pass capping off a six-play, 63-yard drive at the 12:40 mark. The Trojans then put together an impressive 14-play drive that started at their own seven-yard line finding the endzone with 5:24 left in the first when Tyreese Hullette hit Daniel Hall with a 34-yard TD Pass. Ceidrick Hunt's PAT tied it at 7-7.

Holmes added another TD in the first quarter on a seven-play, 84-yard drive capped by a 25-yard TD run. The PAT gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 advantage. The Bulldogs would add two more TDs in the second quarter - a six-play, 84-yard drive with a 25-yard TD run and then a seven-play, 69-yard drive with a 21-yard TD pass to take a 28-7 commanding lead into the locker room at halftime. 

Holmes kept scoring in the third, first with a 27-yard field goal after an eight-play, 71-yard drive to extend their lead to 31-7. The Trojans then put together their own long drive, six plays covering 75 yards capped by Trevon Brown's two-yard TD run to cut the lead to 31-14 with 4:323 left in the third. But the Bulldogs then answered with their own six-play, 75-yard drive to extend the lead to 38-14 with 1:48 left in the third. Holmes scored first in the fourth quarter with a two-play, 38-yard drive capped by a 43-yard TD pass to go up 45-14. Both teams fought through the fourth without scoring until the final two minutes when the Trojans put together a seven-play, 70-yard drive capped by a Chance Ross eight-yard TD run to chip it to 45-21 but then the Bulldogs put an 83-yard kickoff TD return where a strange block in the back penalty was called on the Trojans. After much discussion, the referees held firm in the call and Holmes prevailed, 52-21. On Friday, Coach Johnson was still trying to make sense of the call and his phone was ringing with apologies.

"The boy ran out of bounds (on the kickoff return for a touchdown.) That makes no sense. He kept running and fumbled the ball out the back of the end zone. Then the referees threw a flag. And then some guy called blocking in the back on us, gave them the touchdown, and then tacked on the yards on the kickoff. Are you kidding me, man? That makes no sense in any direction. But the head official of the league did apologize. I told him, 'You didn't call the game. They did. They should be out here apologizing.' And I tried to talk to them. And they're going to throw me out of the game. And they ain't doing anything but make me mad at them."

The Trojans will wait to see if any league action is taken after the officials meet on Sunday night.