Friday, Oct. 6
Entering the game, Class 4A Trenton was considered a TD favorite against 3A Newberry. And early on, it seemed as if it might be a four-quarter game.
Trenton actually had a 72-yard TD called back because of penalty on their first offensive possession of the game, so neither team scored in the first quarter.
Sophomore Wyatt Langford opened the scoring with an 8-yard TD run with 9:28 to play in the second quarter to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.
However, the visiting Panthers (3-3) answered with a 55-yard TD run by Tresell Curtis with 8:41 to play in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7. Curtis would end up being named our Sonic Player of the Game after rushing for over 200 yards with four touchdowns.
Newberry quarterback David Robinson added a 68-yard TD run with 4:18 to play to make it 14-7 Panthers at the half.
Trenton opened the third quarter with a 70-yard TD run by senior Randy Fuller to tie the game at 14-14 just a minute into the second half. However, Newberry kicker Garrett Wood kicked a 26-yard field goal with 3:39 to play in the third, and after the Panthers’ defense held, Robinson returned a punt 35 yards for the eventual game-winner and a 24-14 lead with 1:46 to play in the third quarter.
Trenton did make it a one-score game at 24-17 with 9:39 to play, but the Tigers (3-2) couldn’t stop the big plays as Newberry scored 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to kept its postseason hopes alive with a 51-17 win at Trenton. It was the Panthers’ first victory against the Tigers since 2001.
Here are some of the key stats from the game:
• All seven Newberry touchdowns were plays of 27 yards or more
• Tresell Curtis rushed for 217 yards and 4 TDs
• Three of Curtis’ TDs came in the final 7:35 of the game
NEXT RADIO BROADCAST: Vanguard (Ocala) at Gainesville
WHEN: Friday, October 13, at 7:30 p.m. (Pregame coverage at 7 p.m.)
WHERE: 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville and 100.1 FM & 900 AM in Ocala
It’s a battle for first-place in Class 6A-District 5. The visiting Knights (5-0, 2-0) are ranked top five in the state and have four shutouts in their first five games.
The Hurricanes (4-1, 1-0) are coming in winners of four in a row, including a come-from-behind win against rival Buchholz, rallying from a 14-3 deficit against the 7A Bobcats, for a 31-21 win.
Last year, Vanguard had multiple big plays in the opening half in building a 43-7 halftime lead en route to a 56-7 blowout of visiting GHS at Booster Stadium.
Former Class 6A Player of the Year N’Kosi Perry is at the University of Miami, but Marquez Glover has been efficient as the new Vanguard quarterback. The Knights have great balance, averaging 211 yards passing and 208.6 rushing.
Glover’s counterpart, GHS QB Luke Matthews, threw for 356 yards at Forest (Ocala) on Sept. 29 and continues to improve with 10 TDs and only three interceptions. Plus, the ‘Canes have a stable of running backs (Willie McKnight, Moon Bryant, Niles Cromwell, and Kinnzon Hutchinson) to make this game another 4-quarter broadcast.
Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and Sam Ellis (Color) for all the action.
