Managing Editor
GREENWOOD â??? Ben Davis senior Tandon Doss may
have entered the Class 5A eighth-ranked Giantsâ?? big Metropolitan
Interscholastic Conference clash with host Center Grove with the better rushing
numbers.
But it was
the 5A top-ranked Trojansâ?? three-headed, wing-T rushing attack that proved to
be far superior Sept. 28 in Center Groveâ??s 37-7 Homecoming waltz.
The
unbeaten Trojans (7-0, 5-0 in MIC play) outrushed Ben Davis 334-71, a stat that
included a combined 255 yards from senior Elliott Dutra (15 carries for 113
yards and a touchdown), junior Kyle Jones (13 carries, 82 yards, three TDs),
and junior Tanner Riley (six carries, 60 yards).
â??I canâ??t
say enough about our offensive line,â? said Jones, who had a relative off-night
after entering the contest as Center Groveâ??s leading rusher at 117 yards a game
yet still managed to score on runs of 44, seven, and one yards.
Echoed
first-year Ben Davis coach Mike Kirschner: â??They kicked out butts up front, and
if you can do that, you win.â?
From the
very start, it should be stated. The Trojans took the opening kickoff and
marched down the field before fumbling the ball just shy of finding paydirt
(or, pay Field Turf in the case of Center Grove). But the Trojans lit up the
scoreboard on the next play when Ben Davis junior quarterback Greg Rice was
swarmed in the end zone by a multitude of defenders, the sack putting the hosts
up 2-0.
Shades of
last yearâ??s 4-3 loss at Ben Davis, coach Eric Moore?
â??Last year
was embarrassing for us losing 4-3, and I think Iâ??ve been waiting all year for
this game,â? said the ninth-year Center Grove mentor, whose team had failed to
surpass seven points in five straight losses to the Giants.
It showed
in the quick-strike effort of his players, who now stand at 7-0 overall and 5-0
in sole possession of first place in the MIC, one game ahead of 5A No. 4 Carmel
and 5A No. 6 Warren Central. (The Trojans already own a two-overtime road win at
Carmel, and
they get the four-time defending state champions Warriors on the road in two
weeks.)
Center
Grove tallied twice more in the first quarter â??? the first one a 32-yard touchdown
run by sophomore split end Garrett Mack (five carries, 55 yards), the second on
a 44-yard scoring run by Jones â??? to take a 16-0 lead with 2:19 still to play in
the period.
The Giants
finally responded with a 14-play, 67-yard drive that culminated with a one-yard
quarterback sneak by Rice just 26.9 seconds ahead of halftime. Following an
offsides violation â??? one of 13 penalties
on the night for the mistake-prone Giants â??? Ben Davis appeared to have a shot
at getting within a touchdown after a successful onside kick.
But after
a pair of Center Grove penalties got the Giants a 1st and 5 at the
Trojansâ?? 44, three Rice passes fell incomplete. Thus, Center Grove entered
intermission with a 16-7 lead.
â??Weâ??ve
been fighting all year with cutting down the penalties, and itâ??s the same thing
every week,â? Kirschner said. â??Iâ??ve tried everything with â??em.
â??We didnâ??t
have a good week of practice. It will be interesting to see how we react (from
the lopsided loss).â?
Still in
the game with only a nine-point deficit, Ben Davis didnâ??t react very well in
the second half. Rice (12 of 17, 138 yards, one interception) fumbled on the
third play from scrimmage, and Center Grove junior linebacker Jon Rifkind
recovered at the Giantsâ?? 32.
Four plays
later, Jones had his second touchdown on a seven-yard run off left guard. Junior
Mike Woodâ??s third extra-point kick put the Trojans securely in command at 23-7
just 2:11 into the third quarter.
Then after
a Ben Davis punt, the Trojans removed all doubt by going on a 15-play, 86-yard
scoring drive that ****** more than six minutes off the clock. Using two
third-down conversions and another on 4th and 1, Center Grove went
up 30-7 on Dutraâ??s 11-yard jaunt off left guard.
The Giants
once more turned the ball over on another Rice fumble on the ensuing driveâ??s
second play. Center Grove junior strong safety Kevin Jones scooped up the loose
ball and returned it to the BD 5, and Kyle Jones picked up his third TD two
plays later going around right end from one yard out.
Ben Davis
tried repeatedly to get the multi-talented Doss open in space to turn him loose.
And the 6â??3â?, 181-pound senior did respond with 71 yards on eight receptions.
But the
stiff Center Grove defense limited him to just 10 carries and 16 rushing yards â???
115 below his average.
â??They came
after us with 100 percent of Doss, and if I had him I would, too, because heâ??s
a great player,â? Moore
said.
It should
be noted that there was so much Doss out of necessity for the less-than-100
percent Giants. Junior starting running back Miles Wright is done for the
second with a broken leg suffered in BDâ??s Week 2 loss at Penn, the same game in
which senior starting quarterback MarQueis Gray was lost to a broken hand.
â??I can say
I miss â??em a bunch, but weâ??ve been without them for five weeks,â? Kirschner
said. â??But we have no excuses â??? they outhit us and outhustled us.
â??They
execute the offense and donâ??t put themselves in a bad position.â?
Injuries
have struck Center Grove as well. Junior defensive end Keith Dietel was helped
off the field after a knee injury sustained n the second quarter, while junior
offensive tackle Paul Mize (shoulder, knee) and senior defensive tackle Jon Cox
both exited early with leg wounds.
Still, it
was an upbeat Moore who addressed his team in the south end zone after the game.
â??Seven-and-oh!â?
Moore said enthusiastically.
â??We ainâ??t never been 7-0 since Iâ??ve been here, and weâ??ve never beaten Ben Davis
at home.â?
Center
Grove will look to make it 8-0 (and 6-0 in the MIC) Oct. 5 when North Central
(Indianapolis) (3-4, 2-3) comes calling for the Trojansâ?? final home game of the
nine-week regular season. Ben Davis, meanwhile, will host Lawrence North (2-5,
1-4) next Friday.
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