Football team tied for first place in conference
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
Now that’s how you bounce back from your first loss of the season.
The East Troy High School football team certainly didn’t dwell on the 56-6 thumping it took at the hands of Clinton when it hosted Whitewater on Sept. 16.
Whitewater never stood a chance.
The Trojans turned a 28-12 first-quarter lead into a 54-12 rout by halftime and cruised past the Whippets 68-26 to keep hold of its spot at the crowded top of the Rock Valley Conference standings.
East Troy, now 4-1, is tied with Clinton and Evansville-Albany with just four regular-season games remaining. Jefferson and Beloit Turner are right behind at 3-2.
“Our players prepared hard this week,” East Troy coach Jeff Crandall said. “Their dedication to preparation and hard work showed on Friday.”
East Troy scored four unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter to take away any doubt.
Owen Goedland started the fun with a 40-yard run, followed by touchdown passes of 8 and 42 yards from Jacob Dessart to Tyler Zindars and Goedland, respectively. The Trojans’ final score of the quarter came on a 6-yard run by Dylan Jakscht.
Crandall said the second-quarter explosion was a carryover from a strong effort in the opening period.
“Offensively, we have been working to improve our communication,” he said. “The players seemed to start to gel in the first quarter and continued that into the second quarter.
“Defensively, our line and linebackers were able to get pressure on their quarterback and made it very difficult for them to sustain a drive.”
With a running clock in the second half because of the 35-point rule, the Trojans added two more touchdowns. Jakscht scored on an 11-yard run, followed by a 74-yard run by Quinton Schoville.
East Troy finished the night with 486 yards rushing on 47 attempts, led by Goedland’s 238 on 10 carries. Schoville had 107 yards on six carries and Jakscht 98 yards on 19 carries.
“Both our linemen and our running backs have been putting in the work to improve, both in practice and in the weight room,” Crandall said. “Our line opened up some holes, and our running backs found them. We were able to have a successful night running the ball.”
Goedland, who finished with six touchdowns, had four in the first 12 minutes, including runs of 35 and 34 yards that built a quick 14-0 lead for the Trojans.
He added two more scores, a 62-yard run and a 2-yard run, to send East Troy in the second quarter with a 28-12 lead.
“Owen is a tremendous worker,” Crandall said. “He has prepared his body to be able to withstand the punishment it takes to play both running back and defensive line.
“Owen has an ability to make people miss in the open field. He also breaks numerous tackles, which make him an outstanding running back.”
The lopsided score gave Crandall and his coaching staff plenty of chances to freely substitute and give other players a long look to see what they can do.
“Any time young players can get some experience on Friday nights, it is a good thing,” Crandall said. “It is nice to see our young players step up when given the opportunity to play. We are very conscious of our players and trying to get them rested when we can.”
Defensive leaders for East Troy were Sam Goral and Chase Coleman with six tackles, Noah Nyffeler with four and Zindars, Austin Garcia and Jake Pieper each with three.
At Jefferson Friday
Next up for the Trojans was a trip to Jefferson Friday for a 7 p.m. RVC contest, which Crandall knew would be another big challenge for his team.
“Jefferson is always a physical team, and we expect to have a physical game with them on Friday,” he said.
East Troy entered the week needing just one more win to clinch a playoff berth, a fact that Crandall said was well known among the team.
But their focus is just on what’s immediately in front of them.
“Our players know we are one win away from clinching a playoff berth,” Crandall said. “We have talked a little bit about it, but our main focus is on preparing for Jefferson on Friday.”
