Westside- It’s been a tough stretch for the Conquerors. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the state, Trinity found itself sitting at 3-5 and at #6 in the Class 3A FHSAA playoff rankings after a 45-6 loss to Colquitt County (Ga) last week. In danger of missing the playoffs with a loss, Trinity responded with an impressive 21-12 victory over Lee Thursday night.
Lee was coming off a big upset win over previously undefeated Columbia. A Columbia team that bested Trinity in week one of the regular season. So many thought the Generals would have the upper hand based on this fact, but the Conquerors had other plans.
Lee found themselves deep in Trinity territory with a first and goal situation early in the first quarter. The Generals forced a punt after defensive tackle Kennedy Burroughs drive stopping tackle. This allowed Lee’s Cale Zarah to go to work, hitting Terry McKinny for a nice reception. Zarah followed it up with a long run to set up the first and goal. Trinity’s defense would stifle Lee in the red-zone to force a field goal, however the Generals missed the chip shot. The Score remained 0-0.
A long run by Kyjuan Herndon of Trinity got the ball into Lee territory and saw the Conquerors attempting a field goal, however the attempt was unsuccessful as Trinity and Lee remained tied, but not for long. After stopping Lee, Trinity got the ball back to their offense and fed it to their leading rusher Kyjuan Herndon. Herndon would score a touchdown on the next drive of 49 yards to put Trinity up 7-0.
On the next drive, defensive back Miles Brooks would recover a fumble putting Trinity in business. The outstanding defensive effort would allow Pedro Velez an opportunity to score a touchdown on the ground, Trinity’s second of the game giving them a 14-0 advantage.
Trinity’s defense would strike again when C.J Ross intercepted Zarah, giving the ball right back to Trinity, and putting the General defense in a precarious position. Next, a bomb to Marcus Burke from JaCory Jordan of 78 yards ballooned the lead to 21-0 going into halftime.
Finding themselves behind three scorers, Lee was forced to score quickly, and generate turnovers. They were able to get a touchdown run from Zaiire Lee to get on the board 21-6 following the missed PAT. The score would remain going into the 4th.
In the fourth, Lee would gain several stops on defense and capitalize when Zarah scored from 28-yards out for a touchdown. It’s as close as Lee would get as Trinity’s defense capitalized on turnovers even in the second half. Terrell Jackson would pick off a pass in the second half for Trinity as they made it hard for the Generals to score. In the end, that would be enough as Trinity returned to their winning ways to defeat Lee.
With the win over Lee (5-3), Trinity improves to 4-5 with Raines (5-2) left to play. The win tonight for Trinity puts them in prime position to move up in the rankings after defeating a top opponent in Lee. The Generals will end the season with Gainesville which will be a game to determine the fate of Class 6A-2. If Lee wins they’re district champions, and headed to the playoffs as such. If Lee loses, it creates a 3-way tie in the district between Gainesville, Lee, and Columbia.
