Running back sparks Euless Trinity as ground game dominates rejuvenated North Crowley

The Ollie Gordon show was on full display Thursday night and it was clear the kind of night the Euless Trinity running back was going to have just 15 minutes into the game.

Gordon rushed for 273 yards and three touchdowns and the Trojans used a second-half surge to power past North Crowley, 42-13, in a District 3-6A contest at Pennington Field.

Trinity begins district 2-0 for the fourth straight year.

“It was a great night. Our line was handling their blocks and without them, that 273 wouldn’t be here,” Gordon said.

North Crowley (3-2 overall, 2-1 district) came in having won three of its first four games. The Panthers haven’t done that since 2014. They were also looking for their first 3-0 district start in more than 15 years.

The Trojans (4-1 overall) needed a couple drives to finally get into the normal Trinity-run-heavy offense. Despite North Crowley having good field position on its first two possessions, Trinity’s defense made stops.

The Trojans led 7-0 on a Valentino Foni 1-yard keeper with 2:23 left in the first quarter. The play was set up by a 62-yard rush from Gordon on a misdirection play.

“Felt great, felt like Cam Newton, Superman,” Foni said.

Trinity extended the lead to 14-0 with 9:23 left in the second quarter on Gordon’s 12-yard touchdown run. The score capped off a 7-play, 65-yard drive. Joseph Luna had a 20-yard run and Gordon rushed for 33 to the North Crowley 18.

North Crowley’s defense held Trinity in check the rest of the half while the offense finally got on the board.

The Panthers cut the lead to 14-7 with under three minutes until intermission when Chandler Pullam threw a perfect 28-yard pass and Chance Beachum made an incredible catch while being heavily guarded.

The TD came on a fourth-and-9 and capped off a 9-play, 80-yard drive.

Quinton Jackson took the second-half kickoff 67 yards for the Panthers, who had a goal-to-go opportunity to tie the game, but North Crowley turned the ball over on fourth down from the 8.

On the ensuing drive, Trinity went 88 yards in 11 plays and ate up over four minutes to increase the lead to 21-7 on Gordon’s second TD of the night, from 6 yards out, with 5:44 in the third quarter.

Gordon had six carries for 56 yards on the drive.

“Great speech in the locker room, all gas no breaks when we come out of halftime,” Gordon said.

North Crowley fumbled on its next possession — Trinity’s Mina Hanna recovered — and Gordon scored one play later from 10 yards to make it 28-7 with 4:12 left in the period.

The Panthers’ only other score in the match came on a 10-play, 65-yard drive, highlighted by a 9-yard TD pass on fourth down from Jackson to JD Flowers under a minute left before the fourth.

But the Trojans scored two more times on a Foni 7-yard run and a 30-yard pass from Foni to Xzavior Kautai, the latter coming with 3:05 to play. Foni accounted for 129 yards and three scores, and completed his final four pass attempts.

“First half was pretty rough, but coach pulled into the lockers and said we had to do what we do,” Foni said. “Be clean with everything and stick to our game plan. That’s what we did and came out strong in the end.”

Trinity rushed 49 times for 405 yards and gained 498 yards total offense. North Crowley finished with 219 yards on 60 plays.

Trinity’s Josh Taylor and Eddie McGee, and North Crowley safety and New Mexico commit Ronald Wilson Jr. recorded interceptions.

“That was a big part of our win tonight,” Foni said. “Those turnovers turned into big plays and touchdowns.”

This story was originally published November 5, 2020 at 10:59 PM.