Topic: Football
Lafayette vs. Trinity
Class 6A Championship Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl
Houchens/LT Smith WKU
Bowling Green KY
December 3, 2016
© 2016 by Ron Harrison
First for the drama, this was a very “chippy” heated contest that got out of hand on several occasions. Trinity was penalized 17 times for 186 yards and Lafayette was penalized 14 times for 140 yards. Lafayette star QB Walker Wood was injured and had to leave the game early in the fourth quarter as a result of a late hit or a hard legal hit, a he-said, he-said argument. Next reportedly the Trinity student section was chanting “Where is Walker?” which incensed the Lafayette fans. Later reportedly a Lafayette player knocked the cap from one of the official’s head which got a lot of attention on the social media. Finally reportedly the Lafayette team did not shake hands at the end of the game which in my opinion would have made sense considering emotions were at a fever pitch at this time. The sad part is that the drama distracted from the fact that this was a contest between two outstanding teams in which Trinity led 27-21 in the third quarter before Trinity scored 29 unanswered points to earn their 24th State Championship with a 56-21 victory. Coach Bob Beatty’s Shamrocks finished the season at 15-0 and Coach Eric Shaw guided Lafayette to a 13-2 this season.
Trinity recorded 23 first downs and 481 yards of total offense. The Shamrocks were penalized 17 times for 186 yards, lost a fumble, and had a pass intercepted. Lafayette recorded 25 first downs and 342 yards of total offense. The Generals were penalized 14 times for 140 yards, lost two fumbles, and had a pass intercepted.
Spencer Blackburn led Trinity’s ground game with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Jovan Smith carried the ball 12 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Spencer Blackburn completed 14 of 16 passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Rondale Moore caught seven passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Noah Ellison added four receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown. Noah Hoffman caught two passes for 18 yards and a touchdown. Jovel Smith caught a 38 yard touchdown pass. Isaac Martin led the defense with nine solo and two assisted tackles with three of his tackles resulting in losses totaling eight yards. Jacob Dingle added eight solo and two assisted tackles and intercepted a pass he returned 21 yards. Luke Eskins recorded five solo and four assisted tackles and recovered a fumble.
Cameron Morgan led Lafayette with 97 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Walker Wood carried the ball 16 times for 42 yards and a touchdown. Walker Wood completed 13 of 17 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Quinten Brown caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Dekwan Edwards added two receptions for 44 yards. Teandre Newcome returned six kickoffs for 103 yards with a long return of 28 yards. Cameron Morgan returned two kickoffs for 43 yards with a long return of 27 yards. D. Fishback led the defense with seven solo tackles and intercepted a pass. Tejrin McCoy added five solo and two assisted tackles. Jordan Thomas recorded five solo and one assisted tackles. Ean Shaw added three solo and two assisted tackles and recovered a fumble he returned 24 yards.
Scoring Summary
| School | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
| Lafayette | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Trinity | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 56 |
| TRINITY | - | Spencer Blackburn 30 yard run (Zach Williams kick) |
| LAFAYETTE | - | Cameron Morgan 4 yard run (Sutton Averitt kick) |
| TRINITY | - | Spencer Blackburn 2 yard run (Zach Williams kick) |
| TRINITY | - | Jovel Smith 38 yard pass from Spencer Blackburn (Zach Williams kick) |
| LAFAYETTE | - | Walker Wood 3 yard run (Sutton Averitt kick) |
| TRINITY | - | Noah Hoffman 6 yard pass from Spencer Blackburn (Nick Bohn run fails) |
| LAFAYETTE | - | Quinten Brown 51 yard pass from Walker Wood (Sutton Averitt kick) |
| TRINITY | - | Jovan Smith 9 yard run (Zach Williams kick) |
| TRINITY | - | Noah Ellison 8 yard pass from Spencer Blackburn (Jovan Smith run) |
| TRINITY | - | Jovan Smith 15 yard run (Zach Williams kick) |
| TRINITY | - | Rondale Moore 71 yard pass from Spencer Blackburn (Zach Williams kick) |
Selected Statistics
| Lafayette | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Cameron Morgan | 20 | 97 | 4.8 | 22 |
| Walker Wood | 16 | 42 | 2.6 | 12 |
| Quinten Brown | 8 | 21 | 2.6 | 10 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Walker Wood | 17-13-1 | 181 | 1 | 51 |
| Quinten Brown | 1-1-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Quinten Brown | 6 | 105 | 1 | 51 |
| Dekwan Edwards | 2 | 44 | 0 | 32 |
| Cameron Morgan | 2 | 20 | 0 | 16 |
| Matthew Guilfoil | 2 | 13 | 0 | 11 |
| J. Robinson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Zak Sherman | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
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| Trinity | ||||
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| Rushing | No. | Yds. | Avg. | Long |
| Spencer Blackburn | 11 | 110 | 10.0 | 30 |
| Jovan Smith | 12 | 100 | 8.3 | 39 |
| Roderick Thomas | 8 | 34 | 4.2 | 14 |
| Luke Eskins | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 15 |
| Team | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
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| Passing | A-C-I | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Spencer Blackburn | 16-14-1 | 222 | 4 | 71 |
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| Receiving | No. | Yds. | TD | Long |
| Rondale Moore | 7 | 130 | 1 | 71 |
| Noah Ellison | 4 | 36 | 1 | 12 |
| Noah Hoffman | 2 | 18 | 1 | 12 |
| Jovel Smith | 1 | 38 | 1 | 38 |
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to WL Stats and the KHSAA for the comprehensive stats provided for tonight's games.
Please feel free to send your comments and questions concerning the event, teams, or players to me at prepgridiron@yahoo.com.
Ron Harrison’s reports on this and other football events appear on https://www.angelfire.com/ky2/prepgridiron.