Run defense struggles in loss to P-E
By Dan Truttschel
Sports Correspondent
There are times in every coach’s career that a defeat really isn’t all that stunning – sometimes the opposition is just better on that given day.
For East Troy football coach Eric Sulik, however, last week was not one of those times.
This was a true head scratcher.
Just a week removed from a dominating effort over Elkhorn, the Trojans struggled from the outset and couldn’t get on track Friday night in a 32-27 Rock Valley Conference loss at Palmyra-Eagle.
The setback dropped East Troy to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the RVC.
“(The) game was an opportunity for us to get off to a winning record and start rolling through the conference,” Sulik said. “But it wasn’t to be.
“I haven’t had a loss like that in a while. Some losses, the other team is better than us, but this one was kind of odd. I guess, live and learn.”
East Troy trailed by 13 points with 3:31 left in the third quarter after Palmyra’s Brett Knoebel, who rushed for 203 yards on 27 carries, scored on a 53-yard run.
The Trojans answered four minutes into the fourth quarter on a 7-yard scoring strike from Brandon Matz to Cody Studt to pull to within five points – but couldn’t get any closer.
East Troy had chances in the game’s final minutes, Sulik said, but two potential scoring drives stalled.
“We had the ball twice in the last three and a half minutes of the game,” he said. I would put money on our offense in that situation.”
First half
East Troy scored its first touchdown of the game with 3:23 left in the first quarter when Matz and Zack Lamb connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass.
After Palmyra rebuilt the lead to six points at 12-6, the Trojans answered again, this time on a 5-yard scoring strike from Matz to Sam Eckert early in the second quarter.
But two more touchdown runs, a 25 yarder and a 42 yarder, by the Panthers sent East Troy to intermission down 12 points at 24-12.
“We came out in the first half and really struggled against their run game,” Sulik said. “Before we knew it, we were down a couple touchdowns.
“We were moving the ball relatively well. We sputtered on a couple drives and only put two touchdowns on the board.”
East Troy’s relative inexperience, especially across the offensive line, may have played a role, Sulik said.
“I think a little bit of our age showed,” he said. “Some of those sophomores were struggling offensive line-wise with their blocking assignments.
“Give credit to Palmyra-Eagle. They played really well. I can’t put a finger on (why we struggled) necessarily. I didn’t get a sense we were looking past them during practice.”
Second half
Matz put East Troy on the scoreboard for the first time in the second half when he rushed in from 1 yard out with 4:01 left in the third quarter.
For the game, Matz completed 18 of 35 passes for 244 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He also led the Trojans with 45 yards rushing on 16 attempts. Lamb added 42 yards on 11 carries.
Studt had seven receptions for 79 yards, while Miller had four for 79 yards. Eckert finished with five receptions for 65 yards.
Palmyra completed just one of two passes for 12 yards, but did its damage on the ground, as it rushed for 394 yards on 52 carries.
That’s a number that has to drop from here on out, Sulik said.
“Hopefully, it’s something we can learn from,” he said. “We’re taking all the necessary steps to correct some of the things, but the reality is our run defense is struggling. We have to do some things better.”
Tough challenge awaits
East Troy travels to perennial RVC power Jefferson Friday night to face the 3-0 Eagles at 7 p.m. Jefferson rolled past Clinton 40-12 last week.
There are few secrets between the Trojans and Jefferson, which eliminated East Troy from the playoffs last year.
“They’re going to run at you,” Sulik said. “They don’t do a lot different from year to year. They have two good running backs. They’re going to pound it at you with toss and counter. They do some inside stuff.
“They’re so darn good with the system they run. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. It’s been good enough for them the last six, seven, eight years now.”
Jefferson has won the RVC North title six of the last seven years and seems poised to make another run.
“They’re the team to beat,” Sulik said.
