Flint River’s 350-yard rushing effort too much for Trinity

The Trinity Crusaders returned home Friday night for the first time in over a month to face a new region foe in Flint River Academy.

The game was close early on, but an offensive surge late in the second quarter and early in the third swung the momentum for the visitors as the Crusaders fell 34-13.

Trinity got the ball to open the contest and went right to work moving into Wildcat territory. Unfortunately a couple of penalties would stall the drive and the Crusaders turned it over on downs.

The defense did its job, forcing a three and out, but Flint River would pin Trinity inside its own 10 with a punt.

On third down, Jude Evans was able to find an open receiver for what appeared to be a big gain, but the Crusaders were called for yet another penalty. 

After an unsuccessful third down attempt, Trinity was forced to punt from its own end zone. The snap on the punt got away, resulting in a safety and a 2-0 Flint River lead.

After the free kick, the Wildcats started their drive from midfield.  They would need 11 plays but eventually found paydirt. Nate Mizzell would score from three yards out to make the score 8-0 early in the second period.

Following another Crusader punt, the Wildcats would cash in again. This time they needed just six plays to go 59 yards to extend the lead. Jack Ballard punched it in from five yards out to make it a 14-0 contest.

Trinity was able to answer that score with an impressive drive of its own.

The Crusaders would march 61 yards on eight plays to get on the scoreboard, as Jude Evans found Tayt Evans for a 14-yard scoring strike to make the score 14-7 with under two minutes remaining in the half.

Unfortunately they left too much time on the clock for the visitors.  

Quarterback Brayden Waddell, who provided most of the offense on the drive with several big runs, capped a six-play, 69-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. The drive took just over a minute, and made the score 20-7 with less than 20 seconds remaining in the half.

As if the late score wasn’t bad enough for the Crusaders, the Wildcats also got the ball to open the second half. Flint River took no time to extend its lead even further.  

On the first offensive play of the half, Mizzell took a handoff and raced 65 yards for a score, and the two point conversion would make it 28-7.

Knox Fountain would add an 11-yard touchdown run later in the third to put the visitors up 34-7.

Trinity struggled to keep up as it turned the ball over on downs twice and threw an interception on its next few possessions.

The Crusaders were finally able to get back on the board midway through the fourth following a Flint River turnover. 

Jude Evans would connect with Tayt Evans again, this time on a 43-yard catch and run, to make the score 34-13 with just under five minutes remaining.

The Wildcats would take the ensuing kickoff and not give the ball back, grinding out 60 yards and five first downs to milk away the rest of the clock.

Flint River didn’t complete a pass all night, but racked up 367 yards on the ground and picked up 15 first downs. Waddell led the way 105 yards on 14 attempts. Mizzell had 88 on just three carries, while Ballard had 73 on 10 attempts.

Jude Evans was just 7-of-24 on the evening but did have 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Tayt Evans finished with 45 yards rushing on 11 carries and added the two touchdown catches for 57 yards.

Trinity, now 2-6 on the season, will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 23, as they travel to Monticello to face Piedmont Academy in another region tilt.