The Trimble Tomcats (1-2) notched their first win of the season Friday, escaping with a less-than-pretty win against South Gallia High School (2-1) on their home turf by a score of 18-14.
The Tomcats benefitted from a 62-yard reverse play midway through the fourth quarter that caught their opponents off guard and allowed them to take the lead for good.
Wideout Wyatt Deak posed as a blocker for the reverse play before tiptoeing his way into unguarded territory and catching a pass from Konnor Standley.
Trimble was not as successful early in the game. The team fumbled on three of its first five plays.
But after trailing 6-0, senior quarterback Justin Jewell made the best of senior Austin Keith’s 20-yard run. With the Tomcats on the 1-yard line, Jewell kept the ball for himself and dove into the end zone to even the score.
The Rebels and Tomcats stayed deadlocked until about five minutes into the third quarter, when Keith scored from 6 yards out.
South Gallia applied pressure down the stretch, but Trimble sealed the deal with solid defensive stands in the third and fourth quarters.
Keith was the game’s leading producer, making 117 yards of his 2 carries.
South Gallia sophomore Ethan Spurlock took to the ground 19 times for 114 yards.
The Rebels’ senior quarterback Cory Haner had 95 passing yards in eight connections, and Jewell went 2-for-7 for 34 yards.
Trimble will continue its season next week on the road against Dawson-Bryant.
