Jacksonville, Fl – Trinity Christian went into the backyard of Lee and conquered the Generals 14-6 on Friday night. Both teams riding winning streaks clashed in a defensive contest. Trinity in the midst of a 4-game winning streak and Lee undefeated coming into the showdown.
They began with intense emotion as both teams jawed back and forth with each other before kickoff. That emotion would translate on the field into hard hitting plays by both teams. Trinity’s Jahron Williams tackled Lee the ball carrier, stripping the ball and recovering which gave the ball to Trinity with good field position. However, Trinity was unable to do anything with the opportunity, as they fumbled giving the ball back to the Generals. Nifty runs by Lee’s Quarterback Cale Zarah and Trinity’s Running Back Caleb Killian were the only offensive plays of note, as both teams ended the first quarter scoreless.
As the rain began to soak the muddy home field of Lee, both teams continued to exhibit a deluge of defense. Trinity’s Caden Morrell would sack Zarah for a big loss. Not to be outdone, Lee’s Devary Weeks would make a big tackle for loss as both teams jockeyed for position. Needing a spark, Lee’s head coach OJ Small pulled a bit of trickery as Lee converted a fake punt to advance the ball to the Trinity 25-yard line.
The play proved to light the fire for Lee as they would score a touchdown on the legs of Zarah. The short touchdown run gave Lee a 6-0 lead over Trinity with 4:58 to play in the second quarter. Lee would fail to convert the extra point as Trinity’s Corey Coley rushed around the edge to block the kick.
On the ensuing drive, Trinity’s Treyaun Webb executed nice runs; however, the Conquers found themselves facing a 4th and 5 near midfield. That’s when Trinity’s Quarterback JaCory Jordan would put the team on his back by taking a zone read option 38-yards for a touchdown. Caleb Stevenson would convert the extra point to give Trinity a 7-6 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, both teams would head in different directions. Trinity moved the ball with ease coming out of halftime, converting several first downs. However, penalties would back the Conquerors up forcing them to attempt a long field goal. Lee would get a big stop on special teams blocking the field goal attempt by Trinity as the score remained 7-6 in the third quarter. Yet, Lee’s misfortune would rear its ugly head, when Cale Zarah’s pass was tipped in the air and intercepted by Trinity Linebacker Bryce Capers.
The turnover gave Trinity the ball deep in General territory and Jordan would make them pay. The senior Quarterback would hit his wide receiver Runye Norton on a 14-yard slant for a touchdown, as Trinity took a 14-6 lead in third quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, Trinity nursed a slim 8-point lead against Lee. Lee would make several attempts to generate offense including switching to junior quarterback Trent Watson, but nothing seemed to work due to the suffocating Trinity defense. Trinity’s Kensly Johnson would intercept a pass in the fourth quarter to halt a potential game tying drive by Lee. The General’s defense would stop Trinity, forcing a punt back to the Generals offense with 2-minutes remaining in the game. However, a fourth down play saw Lee mishandle a snap to give Trinity the ball and the game.
With the win, Trinity improves to 5-1 and has not yielded more than seven points in their last four games. Playing without starting wide receiver (Florida Commit) Marcus Burke, Trinity got just enough from their Quarterback JaCorey Jordan (Bowling Green Commit) who ran for a touchdown and passed for a touchdown in the game. Trinity will welcome Raines (3-4) at home next week.
As for Lee (4-1) their showing against Trinity lacked effort in the second half. Hopefully, the loss motivates them going into next week as they welcome Gainesville (1-2) to the backyard.
