Knights even their record against Civic, honor Williams family
By Ray Popkess
A marathon of a game took place last Friday night as the Triad Knights took on the Civic Memorial Eagles in what was the beginning of the end for the Mississippi Valley Conference.
The Williams Family receives their donation from Triad High School before Friday night’s kickoff. (Photo taken by Kenny Deathrage)
Before the kickoff, players, coaches and fans on both sidelines honored late Triad student Logan Williams and his family by presenting them with a $5,934 check donated by the community. Supporters donned blue shirts reading “Forever on the trail”, an homage to Logan’s adoration for the outdoors.
Defense and penalties kept both teams from scoring early in the opening quarter, until Civic took the ball on their own eight-yard line. Their second drive of the game didn’t last long, as the Eagles went 92 yards on a single passing play, a throw that traveled 20 yards through the air at most.
The first and only turnover of the game came in the second quarter, an interception thrown by the Knights. Triad’s defense forced a turnover on downs on the ensuing drive, negating the errant pass. Sophomore quarterback John Holloway completed his first pass of the game to senior running back Jacob Odle on the next drive, a 44-yard play for the Knights that set up a goalline punch for senior Brayden Riney.
Civic Memorial answered back quickly, regaining their seven-point lead on a quarterback scramble and leaving too little time for the Knights to even the score before the halftime horn.
Triad received the opening kickoff in the second half and marched their way down the field for another game-tying score, this time thanks to another Riney sneak.
Civic seemed to have an answer for every Triad score, as they once again took the lead on an aerial assault from their junior quarterback Luke Clouser and junior receiver Grady Farrell, who combined for three passing touchdowns.
Holloway took the Knights on a downfield cruise with his legs on the following drive, capped off by another Riney sneak, evening the score once again, this time at 21. Both defenses held serve until the fourth quarter.
Triad chewed up a majority of the clock in the final quarter, capping off an almost eight-minute drive with a six-yard touchdown run by Holloway, leaving Civic with only 2:12 left in the game and an opportunity to tie it up once again.
Holloway anticipates the snap before taking the ball into the endzone for Triad’s final score of the evening.
Lo and behold, another deep pass for the Eagles resulted in an impressive catch and score for Clouser and Farrell. At this point there was a decision to be made: kick the extra point and give Triad the ball back with 1:12 and bank on overtime, or go for two and potentially end the game right then and there.
The Eagles went with the latter, but to no avail. Senior Mac Musgrave forced an incomplete pass intended for Farrell at the goalline, but the game was not sealed there. Civic’s attempt at an onside kick fell into Triad hands and the Knights knelt out the clock from there, sealing victory and the final score at 28-27.
