Trinity playoff hopes washed away in loss
The Trinity Hillers have been accustomed to playing must-win football games the past few seasons to earn a spot in the WPIAL playoffs.
The Hillers had that opportunity again Friday night when they hosted Greensburg Salem. A Trinity win would set up a matchup against Ringgold next week with the winner headed to the playoffs.
Unfortunately for the Hillers, they won’t have much to play for next week.
On a rainy night, the Trinity offense slipped and slided most of the night, turning the ball over four times, as the Hillers saw their playoff hopes dashed in a 27-0 loss to the Golden Lions.
The Trinity loss means that Ringgold captures the final playoff spot from the Big Nine Conference.
“I don’t think we played with a ton of enthusiasm,” said Trinity head coach Jon Miller. “We are banged up and we had a lot to play for. I just don’t think we came out the way we should have. It’s a disappointing loss.”
The Hillers (3-4, 3-5) started strong with a 25-yard run from Joey Koroly. Two plays later, Jaden Nelson broke loose with a 29-yard run. But despite getting the ball down to the GS 12-yard line, Trinity couldn’t convert and turned the ball over on downs.
It didn’t take long for the Golden Lions to answer as Greensburg Salem (3-4, 4-5) put together a 12-play, 88-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown run from Teegan Hahn, which put GS up 6-0.
“That was a huge swing in momentum,” Greensburg Salem head coach Dave Keefer said. “To get that big stop and then to be able to turn it around and go on a long drive and scored was a big momentum builder.”
The Golden Lions then showed they could score on both sides of the ball.
Greensburg Salem’s Alex Phillip intercepted a Dylan Kern pass and returned it 44-yards for a touchdown that a 12-0 lead at halftime.
Trinity had another chance right before the half, getting the ball down to the Golden Lions’ 15-yard line, but again the Hillers came up empty.
The Hillers were fortunate to only be down 12 at the half as their defense held a couple of times.
Kern was intercepted by Hahn early in the second quarter, which gave the Golden Lions a first-and-goal from the Trinity four-yard line, but the Hillers defense held.
Greensburg Salem also started a drive at the Trinity 30-yard line in the second quarter, but came up empty.
“I don’t think we played that great on offense,” Keefer said. “We had chances and didn’t execute.”
Trinity couldn’t hold forever though as Greensburg Salem put the game away in the third quarter when Phillip found the end zone from a yard out to make it a 20-0 game.
To put the icing on the cake for the Golden Lions, Kern was intercepted again at the end of the third quarter by Joseph Williams, who returned it 45 yards for a touchdown to make it a 27-0 game.
“Our defense was outstanding,” Keefer said. “We talked all week about what we needed to do defensively and we came out and did it.”
With the weather not ideal for throwing the football, Kern struggled, completed just 6 of 24 attempts for 43 yards and four interceptions on the night.
“You can’t really put it on one person,” Miller said. “But they were able to force turnovers and turn them into points. That was a big difference in the game.”
Koroly, who entered the night sixth in the WPIAL in rushing, finished with 76 yards on 18 carries, while Nelson gained 129 yards on 14.
The loss all but ends a season that started with high hopes for the Hillers, but Miller expects a good effort next week against Ringgold.
“That will show what kind of heart and what kind of character we have,” Miller said. “We will come out and compete and give Ringgold a tough game.”