Strong Second Half Propels RV Taylor to Win in MSFA Opener
UPLAND, Ind. – The Taylor football team wore down an opponent in the second half for the second-straight week, this time outscoring Lawrence Tech (3-4, 0-1 MSFA) by a 17-3 count after the intermission and rolling past the Blue Devils in a 34-17 victory inside Turner Stadium.
One week after scoring the final 35 points of a win in its final non-league game of the season, Taylor dominated LTU down the stretch of the MSFA Mideast League opener to turn a 17-14 halftime edge into a 17-point victory.
TU did it on both sides of the ball, holding Lawrence Tech to just one field goal and 80 yards of total offense over the game’s final 30 minutes, including just 37 yards through the air. The Trojans highlighted that performance with a pair of takeaways, helping to keep the ball in the hands of the Trojan offense.
Taylor’s offense was up to the task as well, extending its lead while draining the clock with successive scoring drives of 13, 12 and 10 plays to open the second half. TU began that stretch with a drive of 9:51 to open the half, before touchdown drives of 6:30 and 5:34 to put the game away.
For the game, Taylor rushed 51 times for 244 yards and piled up 33:18 of possession while visibly wearing down the Lawrence Tech defense.
Evan Barker and Ethan Albert combined for 31 carries, bouncing off and running through LTU defenders with physical runs throughout. Barker ended with career-highs of 17 carries and 111 yards, while scoring his ninth rushing touchdown of the season and averaging 6.5 yards per touch. Albert followed with 51 yards and a score in his 14 touches.
Aidan Zimmer caught just two passes but finished with 84 receiving yards and Cooper Sloan contributed 10 points in the kicking game for a second-straight week with field goals from 21 and 41 yards out and four point-after tries without a miss.
The Taylor defense allowed just 267 total yards in the game and got several top performances. Grady Stanley finished with eight solo tackles among his team-leading 11 hits and added one tackle for lost yardage. Samuel Ringer and Reid Messer each had an interception, with Ringer adding 10 tackles and Messer ending with nine stops, and Seth Tolliver anchored the defensive line with 1.5 sacks.
TU never trailed in the contest, using a pair of rushing touchdowns from Brady Trebley and Blake Lawson in the first quarter to grab a 14-0 lead. Those scores extended an unanswered scoring streak to 90-straight points against Lawrence Tech stretching over the last three meetings between the two foes.
After taking a 17-14 lead to the break, Taylor’s cushion grew to 20-14 on a 41-yard field goal from Sloan, before rushing scores from Barker and Albert capped the scoring in the 34-17 victory.
RV Taylor (5-2, 1-0 MSFA) will look for a third-straight home win when it welcomes Defiance (3-4, 0-1 MSFA) to Turner Stadium for a 7:00 pm start on October 24.
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