Trion Plays Gordon Central In Spring Game Last Friday

By DARRIN SMITH
Sportswriter
The Trion Bulldogs football team headed to Calhoun to face off against Gordon Central on Friday for its spring game. The Dogs varsity took care of business quickly and led the Warriors 17-0 at the half when the starters night came to an end. In the third against the second teamers, the Warriors struck back with a touchdown to bring the game to a 17-7 score. The weather got the upper hand and brought the game to an end in the third. The fourth was scheduled to be freshman playing but was called before it began.
The Bulldogs came out of the gate swinging. They pounded the ball on the ground and took the ball to the air with tremendous success. Quarterback Lincoln Maddux attempted only two passes in the game with both going for touchdowns. Hagen Willingham was on the receiving end of both and finished the game with two receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns with a long reception of 63 yards.
On the ground, the Bulldogs tried 11 players who combined for a total of 138 yards on 31 attempts. Hagen Willingham led the team with six rushes for 27 yards. Noah Edgeworth had three carries for 17 yards, Brantley Hastings finished with two carries for 17 yards, and Connor Ellenburg had three carries for 16 yards to round out the top four rushers.
The Bulldogs defense played in mid-season form dominating the line of scrimmage and shutting down the Warriors’ running game. Several players made waves on defense with Will Wyatt leading the way. He had three solo tackles, one tackle for loss and three assists, Hagen Willingham had four solo tackles, Ross Moore finished with four solo tackles and one assist, and Braden Johnson had three solo tackles to round out the top four tacklers on defense. Another bright spot on defense for the Dogs was Conor Ellenburg who provided the Bulldogs two sacks in the game as well as their only interception.
“Overall, it wasn’t too bad,” Coach Justin Brown told The News after the game. “I thought we had great effort from our defense. We’re trying some new things on that side of the ball and for having only two weeks to get some of that stuff in, it was good. I thought Will Wyatt and Ross Moore were nice surprises for us defensively. Offensively, we made some positive steps. Lincoln Maddux and Hagen Willingham made a couple of big plays for us. We blew a couple of things up front, and I think we missed a couple of cuts. Having to replace nine starters though, not bad. We’ve definitely got plenty to work on this summer.”