Streak Continues! Trinity wins in OT, beats Bell for 25th straight year, clinches berth

LD Bell has been waiting a quarter of a century for a night like Thursday night as it was one of most anticipated Bell-Euless Trinity high school football games since the 1990s.

For one night, it seemed like this long one-sided rivalry was back to even.

Trinity had beaten Bell 24 straight times, with Bell’s last win in the series coming in 1997.

The Trojans entered the night 37-14-2 against Bell all-time.

Most of their wins haven’t even been close.

Before a sold out crowd at Pennington Field and a live audience on CW 33, Gary Maddox rushed in the game-winning 3-yard touchdown as Trinity beat Bell 27-24 in overtime during the final regular season game to extend its streak over its district mates.

Trinity (4-6, 4-3 in District 3-6A) clinches a playoff berth for the 25th straight season. The Trojans travel to Keller at 7 p.m. Friday for a 6A D1 bi-district playoff game.

It’s a rematch from last season when Trinity on the playoff opener 47-21.

“We talked about it being a war. They’re good. Hats off to coach Dibble and the Bell kids. They played well. We just made one more play then they did,” first-year Trinity coach Aaron Lineweaver said. “So happy for the kids. They never wavered. There were tough times, but glad we’re here and they’re a part of it. They deserve this.”

The last time the Trojans didn’t make the playoffs was 1997 when they lost to Bell.

Bell ends at 6-4 and 3-4 for one of its best years in the past decade.

The Blue Raiders scored 14 unanswered in the second half to grab a 21-14 lead. Maddox Olatunde scored from 19 yards to tie the game at 14 with 2:51 left in the third. Then Landen Garcia hit Jalen David for a 43-yard TD that put Bell up 21-14 with seven seconds left in the quarter.

Bell’s D did a good job holding Trinity out of the end zone for much of the second half. The Raiders would get the ball at the Trinity 17 after the snap on the punt attempt went over the head of the punter.

A few plays later, Trinity was flagged for 15 to put Bell in a first-and-goal situation. Running back Gracien Anto found the end zone, but the Raiders were flagged for a personal foul putting it at first-and-goal at the 20.

Bell eventually missed a 33-yard field goal attempt that would have given them a 10-point lead with under five minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Trojans took that miss and marched down for the game-tying TD.

After Bell was called for a pass interference in the end zone, the ball was placed at the 2 and Maddox punched it in for a 21-21 tie with 2:36 left in the game. Maddox had 196 yards and three TDs on 23 carries.

Mateo Mohler nailed a 38-yard field goal in OT to put Bell up 24-21.

Bell needed help to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Raiders had to win plus get Fort Worth Paschal to upset Weatherford to have a chance. It wouldn’t matter as Weatherford won 35-13. Bell had a great start to the season, winning its first five games.

“There are 52 seniors in our program. A year ago, we had 29. I think that says a lot. Every single one of those kids played an integral part of changing the culture of our football program,” Bell coach and alum TJ Dibble said. “That’s what I’m most proud of. It hurts because their last game at Pennington Field is an overtime loss in the closest Bell-Trinity game in probably 20 years.

“That’s what hurts because these kids don’t get to do it again. So proud of this group. They’ve written their legacy in the history of LD Bell High School.”

Meanwhile, Trinity went in the opposite direction with a rare 0-5 start before winning three of the previous four games to put the Trojans in position for a playoff berth.

All they had to do was win and they would clinch.

Bell, which hadn’t scored a single point on Trinity during the past two seasons, did come out strong on the game’s opening drive. After a high snap on the first play from scrimmage resulted in a 19-yard loss, the Raiders still managed to march inside the Trinity 25.

Olatunde picked up 34 yards on a third-and-18, but the drive would stall after Bell was flagged for the first of two 15-yard penalties in the first half. Back-to-back incomplete passes resulted in a turnover on downs after the 12-play drive that lasted over five minutes.

Trinity countered with an 11-play drive from its 29 to the Bell 20, but the Trojans were called for one of six first-half penalties to back them up to a second-and-20 at the Bell 30. Two short passes and an incomplete pass would turn the ball over back to Bell that kept the game scoreless.

The Raiders finally got their first points against Trinity in three years when Anto took the ensuing play 46 yards to the Trinity 27. Then two plays later, Olatunde rushed in a 13-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 2:06 left in the first quarter.

But the lead didn’t last long as Trinity scored two plays later.

Maddox took a hand-off up the middle and cut outside down the Bell sideline for a 68-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 7 with 1:29 left on the clock.

After Trinity held Bell to a three-and-out on its next possession, the Trojans went back downfield to take the lead. Trinity, which is well-known for its punishing run game, went to the air behind back-up quarterback TJ Tupou. The Bell punt was downed at the 6, but Trinity would go 94 yards on 10 plays with four going for passes.

Tupou threw for 72 yards on the drive, with 23 going to all-area full-back Buddy Leota for a Trinity first down at the Bell 28. Two plays later, the duo connected again for another 23-yard gain and touchdown that pushed the Trojans on top 14-7 with 7:30 left in the second quarter.

Bell did a good job driving on its next possession, from its 38 to the Trinity 28.

But the Raiders missed a 37-yard field goal and Trinity led 14-7 at halftime.

Trinity finished the game with 257 yards rushing. Tupou threw for 126.

Olatunde and Anto led Bell with 112 and 80 yards rushing, respectively.

“Since I was little, it was a big deal, even in the 80s. There are a lot of people who are passionate about both football programs,” Lineweaver said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this many people at Pennington. It’s been great to be a part of and I’m thankful we pulled it out.”

“Since I got here, I’ve been saying that it hasn’t been a rivalry in recent years. Tonight it’s a rivalry. After this game, its a rivalry again. If you saw it, sold out crowd on both sides, that’s the way it’s suppose to be,” Dibble added. “That’s the way it was, it’s been a long time since it’s been that way, but it’s because of our kids and their work, the coaching staff and the support we get from the administration that it’s a rivalry again.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 10:31 PM.