‘An indescribable feeling’: Hurst L.D. Bell snaps 25 game losing streak to Euless Trinity
BEDFORD -- Hurst L.D. Bell senior quarterback Maddox Olatunde was determined to defeat the Trojans.
Olatunde registered 283 yards total offense (151 passing and 132 rushing) and two touchdowns as the L.D. Bell Blue Raiders defeated rival Euless Trinity 24-21 Thursday night at Pennington Field. The win over the Trojans is the Blue Raiders’ first since 1997.
Plackekicker AJ Rosen drilled a 23-yard field goal with 2:23 left for what proved to be the game-winner for the Blue Raiders, who will need Saginaw Boswell to lose to Chisholm Trail friday to make the playoffs.
A loss would have eliminated L.D. Bell, No. 10 in the current Fort Worth Star-Telegram area 6A rankings, from the playoffs.
“This is such an indescribable feeling,” said a jubilant Olatunde. “All the hard work paid off. We just found a way to win.”
Blue Raiders Head Coach TJ Dibble said this proves “we can play with anybody.”
“Last year we lost to Trinity in overtime,” added Dibble. “We have not beaten Trinity in 25 years. This is so special.”
Coach Dibble said his team was ready for this. “We had a great week of preparation,” Dibble noted. “The kids believed. The kids trusted each other and the coaches. I could not be more proud of this group.”
After the game’s opening possession by Euless Trinity resulted in a punt, each team put together a pair of long TD drives.
Olatunde engineered an 11-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in his own one-yard plunge to forge a 7-0 Blue Raiders lead. Olatunde had kept the drive alive with a nine-yard completion to Elijah Zamora on a fourth-and-four from the Trinity 30.
Trinity answered with a long march as Josh Bell capped a 10-play 75-yard drive that used 5:00 off the clock with a one-yard TD run.
A Kenny Earskin 14-yard TD scamper with 6:44 left in the second quarter ended an 11-play 77-yard drive in 4:30 giving L.D. Bell a 14-7 advantage.
Trinity would answer right back, going 75 yards in seven plays with JT Harris, who had a key 43-yard run during the drive, taking a swing pass seven yards from TJ Tupou to paydirt for a 14-14 deadlock with 3:23 remaining before halftime.
Olatunde was not done. Starting at its own 17 yard line, the Blue Raiders advanced to the Trojans 20 yard line -- highlighted by Olatunde 17 and 19-yard scrambles -- with five ticks left till the break. However, a L.D. Bell 37-yard field goal attempt as time expired was wide left, leaving the score tied at intermission.
A 32-yard kickoff return by Ravin Takano had to begin the second half had the Blue Raiders starting from its own 41. Two plays lost a total of six yards. Needing 16 yards to move the chains, Olatunde picked up 16 yards just enough for the the first down. One play later, Olatunde connected with Delvechio Ellis on a 46-yard TD strike for a 21-14 lead.
On the ensuing series, Blue Raiders defensive back Isaac Watkins intercepted a Trinity pass at the L.D. Bell six-yard line. Olatunde would drive his team to the Trojans 34, but a fourth-and-two keeper left the Trojans a yard shy of a first down, turnover it over to Trinity with 11:17 left in the game.
The Trojans took advantage of the turnover on downs, with Bell racing 37-yards for a TD to cap a seven-play 67-yard drive that took just 2:17 off the clock, forging another tie, this time at 21-21 with 9:00 left.
On the next series, facing a fourth and four at its own 29, L.D. Bell reached into its bag of tricks. The pulled off a fake punt, completing a 40-yard pass from Aidan Garza to Tristan Johnson.
“We practiced that again this week,” said Johnson, a TCU pledge. “We had not run a fake punt all year. I think it caught Trinity off guard. Perfect timing to use it. Aidan threw a good pass. First of all I wanted to make sure I caught it. Then I just took off running.”
“We executed it perfectly,” echoed Garza. “And to use it in such a big game. Incredible feeling.”
“We felt we had the look we wanted,” said Coach Dibble on the fake punt. “And we needed to maintain momentum. The execution was perfect by the guys.”
Olatunde appeared to have scored on a three-yard keeper on third-and-goal later in the drive. However, L.D. Bell had called timeout, and would lose three yards on the next play. AJ Rosen then booted a 23 yard field goal with 2:22 left.
The drive was 69 yards and 14 plays chewing up 6:37 off the clock.
“I had missed one earlier,” said Rosen. “I just really focused and concentrated. Just an amazing feeling.”
A 15-yard penalty post-play penalty left L.D. Bell kicking off from its own 25, and Trinity had excellent starting position at its own 49 with 2:10 left.
Two incomplete passes by Trinity and a four-yard loss on a run play left it with fourth and 14 and another incomplete pass with 1:13 remaining and no timeouts sealed the win for L.D. Bell.
Senior QB Maddox Olatunde led L D. Bell, completing 18 of 20 passes for 151 yards and adding another 132 rushing yards on 27 carries.
“The guy is such a competitor,” said Coach Dibble of his standout signal-caller. “His leadership. His poise. Just a tremendous player and person.”
Kenny Earskin added 45 rushing yards on 10 carries and one TD for L.D. Bell.
No. 4 in the Star-Telegram 6A area rankings, Euless Trinity was led by RB Josh Bell, who amassed 131 rushing yards on 17 carries and a pair of TDs. Bell, a junior, has eclipsed the 100-yard plateau in nine of 10 games for the Trojans, who have already locked up a playoff spot.
Sophomore JT Harris had 57 yards rushing on five carries and the one reception for a seven yard TD.