Trojans’ season ends with loss to Columbus

BY NICK CORN

At 4-6, Girard’s record may not be where they wanted it at the season’s start, but a district championship and playoff berth should be means for some satisfaction for the Trojans. On Friday, Girard met up in the 4A-II Regionals with the Columbus Titans, a familiar opponent. In week four, Girard hosted the then 4A-II second-ranked Titans, and the Trojans kept it close for the first half before Columbus would run away with a 41-16 victory. Much was the same in this playoff matchup, as the Trojans trailed only 13-6 at the midway point, but Columbus cruised to a 35-12 win.
The game started with a three-and-out from Girard, but Juan Ortiz came up with an interception on a pass from Nate Bole on the Titans’ first play from scrimmage. Girard would be forced to punt again after three plays, but the turnover was effective for Girard, as Columbus would have to start from their own 16 yard line instead of on their own 43 on the previous drive. Nevertheless, the Titans put together a monster drive, going 84 yards on 13 plays while shedding 6:40 off the clock and taking a 7-0 lead with 3:15 left in the first quarter. After trading punts, Girard finally got things going and made it to the Columbus 33 yard line, but were stopped short on fourth down, and the Titans took over. After again trading punts, the Titans scored on a drive completely opposite from their first: four plays and 68 yards in 58 seconds to take a 13-0 lead with 3:15 left in the first half. On the ensuing drive, the Trojans needed 15 yards on third down to take keep their drive alive, and Kord Curran did just that picking up 20 yards on the ground and pushing the Trojans into Titan territory. Eric Wilson capped off Girard’s scoring drive with a two yard run with 21 seconds to go in the half, cutting the deficit to 13-6 heading into the break. In the first half, Columbus outgained Girard 171 yards of offense to 108, but the Trojans found a way to stay in the game.
The first drive of the second half was reminiscent of the first scoring drive from Columbus, as they went 72 yards in 12 plays and took 5:27 off the clock. On fourth-and-seven, Bole found Jace McDown on a screen pass and McDown would take it 28 yards to the house for a 21

-6 Columbus lead. After a Trojan punt, the Titans quickly found the endzone again to take a 28-6 lead. With 7:53 to go in the game, Columbus would effectively be putting the game out of reach with another touchdown, but the Trojans did not quit. On their next drive, Girard went 87 yards on 15 plays, and Wilson found the end zone again with a 35-yard touchdown run. With their starters on the bench, Columbus would take a knee to sit on a 35-12 victory and advance to the sectionals.
Columbus totaled 434 yards of offense in the contest, led by McDown’s 159 yards on the ground and 28 yards on receptions and four total touchdowns. Girard recorded 187 yards of offense. Wilson led the team with 16 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns, and he completed 5-10 passes for 49 yards. Although the Trojans would lose, it took great effort to get into the playoffs late in the season. Girard started 1-5, but swept the districts to earn a spot. The late success from Girard could carry over into next season, but the Trojans will have a tough task of replacing 10 contributing seniors.