Trinity shuts out Heritage 21-0

COLLEYVILLE -- Someday opponents of Trinity high school will learn that it's better to leave a sleeping giant alone than it is to prod it. Throughout the week Colleyville Heritage started the hype with t-shirts that read, "When your done dancing - we're ready to play football!

It's not too often that the Trinity coaching staff gets bulletin board material like that but make no mistake, they used it to its fullest advantage. Trinity capped its first three drives with short touchdown runs from Terrance Tusan and Antonio Gonzalez to take a 21-0 halftime lead.

The game was never a contest and with the scoreboard malfunctioning all night, the stadium seemed different. It was likely why fans for both teams were so quiet.

What many anticipated to be a playoff-like atmosphere never really materialized as the Trojans dominated from start to finish. Many of the Heritage fans had cleared the stadium midway through the 3rd quarter.

For a full slideshow of this game, click here.

The defense recorded its first shutout of the year by holding the Panther offense to just 150 total yards of offense. Heritage came into the game undefeated and averaging 36 points a game. How dominant was the Trojan D? They held Heritage to just 81 yards on the ground and 69 through the air.

It was by far their best performance of the season and came at a good time as the showdown with Heritage looked to be their toughest on paper. With the win they are now in the drivers seat for the district championship. Sophomore linebacker Jonathon Yenga was all over the field and led Trinity in tackles.

The secondary looked much improved with the exception of dropping a couple of would-be interceptions in the first half. Senior cornerback Eric Smith halted one Panther drive in the second half with an interception off a deflection. He continues to impress with sure tackling and good pass coverage.

Senior linebacker Paul Ollie was back on the field after missing the last few games due to injury and gave the defense an emotional lift. The news on the offensive side of the ball is good too as Tevin Williams was suited up and "good enough to go if we needed him" said longtime trainer Doc Pruitt.

While the coaching staff is being cautious with the knee injury that Williams suffered in the Keller game, they were able to get Damien Hart back in for some action after missing the last couple of games with a sprained ankle. He carried the ball once for 8 yards in limited action. Junior tailback Terrance Tuson has proven to be a capable backup, last night he led all rushers with 184 yards on 29 carries and scored two touchdowns.

The post-game haka had a different feel to it this time as defensive coordinator Donald Tryon took off his jacket to reveal he had been wearing the now infamous shirt throughout the game. Junior defensive tackle Suleiman Masumbuko had done the same and ripped his off in disdain.

Sometimes too much can be made of motivational ploys but the Trinity coaching staff knows how to push all the right buttons and used the opportunity to their advantage.

"We never hesitate to use things like that to give us a lift" observed receivers coach Jay Fitch. Next up for Trinity is a road game at Keller Central. The Chargers are coming off an emotional 17-14 win over Fossil Ridge.

Date of Article: Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:35 pm