(Atlantic) Atlantic had a triumphant Homecoming with a 56-21 victory over Knoxville in a Class 3A District #6 matchup on Friday night. Atlantic Head Coach Joe Brummer touted his coaching staff for creating a solid game plan.
The Trojans put on another impressive performance by running the ball, accumulating 463 rushing yards and 75 yards passing for a total of 508. Three players rushed for over 100 yards, with four long runs, three of which resulted in touchdowns. Tyson O’Brien carried the ball 21 times for 183 yards, including an 83-yard TD jaunt; Gavin McLaren carried the rock 11 times for 159 yards, including a 62-yard score, and Brock Goodrich, 2 carries for 118 yards with a 58-yard scamper and a 61-yard touchdown.
McLaren added a 33-yard catch and run with time running out in the first half.
The Trojans opened up a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Tristan Hayes winged a pass to Xavier Darrow for 34 yards, followed by a Gavin McLaren 30-yard run. Hadin Thompson knocked through both extra points. Knoxville turned the table on the home team midway through the first quarter, stripping the ball from Trojans running back Ethan McNeal and returning to the Trojan 10-yard line. Moments later, Brenden Woolsey fired a TD strike to Eli Fuller, closing the gap to 14-7.
Tyson O’Brien followed his lead blocker and accelerated to the open field for 83 yards and a touchdown to push the score to 21-7 late in the first quarter. The Panthers answered on Kaison Wilder’s touchdown catch, erasing the deficit to 21-14. The Trojans answered on McLaren’s five-yard run, leading 28-14 at the break.
The Trojans got a break to open the second half. Thompson booted a short kick, the Panthers muffed it, and Colin Rudy gobbled it up, giving the Trojans excellent field position at the Knoxville 32-yard line. Junior tailback Ethan McNeal took it from there, scoring on the 13-yard run to put the Trojans up 35-14.
The Panthers kept fighting and again narrowed the gap to 35-21 when Koby Higgenbotham snared Woolsey’s pass for a 25-yard touchdown. However, that would be all for the Panthers. Atlantic finished the contest with three straight scores on McLaren’s 61-yard run, Brock Goodrich’s 61-yard sprint, and McLaren’s 33-yard catch and run.
Knoxville tallied 178 yards of offense on 150 passing to 28 yards rushing.
Atlantic is 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in district play. Knoxville is 3-2 and 0-1 in the district.
Local News
Comments / 0