Nick LePage | Staff Writer
Center Grove defeated Lawrence North 16-0 in the final regular season home game.
The first half of the game saw its fair share of punts by both teams, with CG punting three times and LN four. However, the Trojans did not leave the scoreboard blank in the first half. After giving up a 31-yard pass that set LN up in the red zone, the defense shut down the offensive strike, forcing Lawrence North to attempt a FG. However, the attempt was no good and the Trojans took over on their own 20-yard line.
The first quarter ended after the offense managed to get into Wildcat territory. The following play, the first of the second quarter, freshman running back Carson Steele took off for a 53-yard touchdown to put the Trojans up 7-0.
The Wildcats looked to leave a tally before heading to the locker room. After making their way to the CG 32-yard line, the Wildcats experienced a relentless Trojan defense. A sack and near-interception resulted in Lawrence North punting to end the first half.
After a back-and-forth exchange for much of the third quarter, LN drove deep into CG territory. However, the Trojan defense, anchored by junior Lucas Hunter, stopped the Wildcats 4th and 10 attempt in the red zone.
The Trojans made up for the lack of scoring in the 3rd quarter by completing a 47-yard field goal attempt to extend the score 10-0.
“They were taking down all of our plays that we had so we had to switch up plays and keep on going,” Steele said on the adjustments made throughout game.
The Trojans offense left one final mark in the 4th quarter when junior Gavin Matheson carried the ball up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown. The PAT was blocked by the Wildcat defense, leaving the score at 16-0 for the Trojan victory on senior night.
Next week the Trojans will take on Cathedral for the final game of the regular season. However, what was the last regular season game under the lights of Ray Skillman Stadium for the Trojan seniors will leave a lasting memory for many of them.
“It feels good, especially considering we’ve only gotten one [win] here so far so that’s amazing to get that win under our belt,” said senior linebacker Jonah Hays.
“It feels great,” senior Riley Roberts said. “Yeah we lost the last two games but this is a great win for us, get us pushing into the playoffs and it’s a great feeling to win.”
