Credit: Craig Sager
Credit: Craig Sager
The last two teams standing in Class AAA this year come from their own backyards. Westminster (10-4) and Blessed Trinity (13-0-1) are both from Region 4 Division B and survived four playoff games in order to reach the championship.
Blessed Trinity beat visiting Calhoun 12-7. The Titans broke the defending state champions’ 28-game winning streak.
Westminster beat Cedar Grove 24-8 at Hallford Stadium. It was the seventh straight road victory for the Wildcats.
Blessed Trinty makes a stand
Blessed Trinity’s defense continued down its dominant path. The Titans allowed Calhoun to rush for only 17 yards. Although quarterback Kaelan Riley completed 19 of 22 passes for 221 yards, other than the 76-yard touchdown to Kolby Reynolds, most of the catches were for short yardage.
B.T. also tackled Riley in the end zone for a safety late in the first half, a play by J.T. Bertrand and Kyle Moller, that wound up changing the balance of the contest. It forced Calhoun to go for a touchdown in the final minutes rather than kick a field goal and go to overtime for the third straight week.
With 3:35 left, the Yellow Jackets faced fourth down and opted to go for it instead of punt the Titans then. They picked up the first down and ran 11 plays over before falling short, when Riley was stopped on a keeper at the 5.
Blessed Trinity got its other points on a 28-yard run by Garrett Dupuis, who rushed 10 times for 58 yards, and a 42-yard field goal from Brooks Hosea.
Westminster turns tables
Westminster tailback Zay Malcome rushed for 146 yard and one touchdown and quarterback Rankin Woley scored on runs of 1 and 9 yards to put the Wildcats back in the championship game.
But the big play was probably the decision to fake a punt on the fourth play of the game from their own 34 yard line. That success led to a field goal and enthused the Wildcats, who blanked the high-powered Cedar Grove offense until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Westminster entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed from Region 4. (Blessed Trinity was No. 1 and Cedar Grove was No. 2.) The Wildcats hardly resemble the team that lost to a poor Therrell team 25-23 on Sept. 25.
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