TRINITY — A conversion on fourth-and-20 gave Wheatmore a single-point advantage over Trinity late in the fourth quarter on Friday night.
That lone point proved to be the difference, as the Warriors walked away with a 27-26 victory at the Dog Pit. Trailing by five late in the fourth in a back-and-forth contest, sophomore Riley Strickland uncorked a moon ball that found its way to fellow sophomore Danny Craig Jr. in the back of the end zone with just 4:27 left.
That 24-yard touchdown completion completed a second-half comeback that began with a few missed opportunities to put away a victory for the Bulldogs. Deadlocked 14-14 at halftime, both teams had momentum-changing plays on each side of the ledger that prevented either squad from seizing control of the game. In the third quarter, however, it was Trinity that jumped out to a two-score lead.
Trinity’s Tate Conti began the second half on the right note for the home team, recovering a Wheatmore fumble near midfield. Both teams exchanged failed fourth-down conversions and neither could advance the ball past the red zone until Bulldog quarterback Dominic Payne connected with Dylan Hodges for a 1-yard score to complete an 85-yard drive that put Trinity up 20-14 with 2:29 to go in the third.
On the ensuing play from scrimmage, Daniel Torreblanca recovered another Wheatmore fumble at the Warrior 39 yard line, which set the stage for Trinity’s second trick play for a touchdown. Conti hit Jacob Hodges on a halfback pass that went 39 yards for a score.
Neither extra-point attempt on Trinity’s third-quarter touchdowns was good, and the team led 26-14 with 2:18 to go in the third.
The Warriors then put together a seven-play scoring drive of their own, punctuated by a 1-yard TD run from Trey Swaney. The PAT made it 26-21 in favor of the Dogs to end the third.
Trinity began the final period with a three-and-out, giving the ball back to Wheatmore (2-6). The Warriors couldn’t capitalize. Cam Nelson picked off a Strickland pass at the end of what appeared to be a successful drive for Wheatmore.
Instead Trinity (4-4) took over with 6:48 remaining with a chance to milk the clock and put the game-winning score on the board. Three plays later, Payne completed a pass to Bo Gibson, but a fumble on the play was recovered by Wheatmore.
The Warriors drove the ball into the red zone but were hamstrung by penalties near the goal line. Despite all of it and backing up to the 24 yard line for one last-gasp effort, Strickland’s prayer was answered and the Warriors left victorious.
Recent history in the series has been kind to Wheatmore, which came into Friday night winners of six of the last seven games with the Bulldogs. The winning ways continued for the Warriors, whose victory avenged a 21-point home loss last season to their archrivals.
Staff writer Daniel Kennedy can be reached at 336-888-3578, or at kennedy@tvilletimes.com.
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