A 300-yard passing game from Euless Trinity? Foni, Gordon electric in Trojans’ victory

With the problems the Euless Trinity football team was having in the first half of its Class 6A Division 1 area round game with Midland Lee, things looked bleak for the Trojans.

But Trinity rallied from 21 points down and then held off the Rebels, 56-49, in a classic battle of tradition rich schools Saturday night at Globe Life Park.

Trinity (10-1) will face Allen (10-0) in the regional round next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. back at Globe Life Park.

An interception by Trinity’s Cameron Andrews on the game’s third play gave the ball to the Trojans at the Lee 44.

Trinity quarterback Valentino Foni hit running back Ollie Gordon with a swing pass in the left flat on the Trojans’ first play from scrimmage. Gordon did the rest covering the 44 yards, running out of tackles along the way, to take a 7-0 lead with 10:54 left in the first half.

After Lee (9-2) had tied the game, a series of Trinity gaffes helped the Rebels build a 35-14 lead. But Trinity never quit and that’s when things changed.

Foni dropped back to pass and was hit hard as he threw the ball, even getting a roughing the passer penalty, but Pofele Ashlock was wide open down the middle and hauled in the pass for a 66-yard score to cut the lead to 35-21 at the half.

In the second half Trinity started playing Trinity football. Lee never stopped the Trojans’ who scored touchdowns on all five second half possessions.

“At the start, I’m not gonna lie, it was really tough going against them because they were pushing the gaps,” said Gordon who led Trinity with 188 yards rushing on 26 carries. “But at halftime Tino (Valentino Foni) and I went and talked to our linemen and told them that we just needed a little positive push and they did more than that.”

Defensive back Jacob Schaeffer helped turn the game as well when he picked off a Lee pass in the end zone to kill a Rebel drive. A score by Lee would have put the Rebels up 42-28, but instead Trinity drove down and scored and tied the game at 35 with 1:48 left in the third quarter.

Trinity scored 28 unanswered points starting with the Ashlock TD. A 30-yard TD run by Gordon, a 23-yard touchdown run by Foni and a 34-yard scoring pass from Foni to Xzavior Kautai that gave the Trojans a 42-35 lead with 9:05 left in the fourth quarter.

“We knew Midland Lee was going to be a good program and that it was going to be a tough game,” said Foni who threw for an un-Trinity-like 311 yards completing 18 of 23 passes. “They were an amazing team, but we just endured to the end.”

Trinity looked to have put the game away after a 1-yard scoring run by Foni gave Trinity a 49-42 lead with 1:45 left, but Young returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a TD to tie the game at 49.

But the Trojans, behind the big, physical offensive line of Dakari Fantroy, Misi Maluia, Kaniela Vimahi, Jared Foni and Jacob Foni, weren’t deterred.

Starting at their own 36 with 1:21 left, the Trojans marched the length of the field. Valentino Foni hit Max Bosilikwa for 35 yards down to the Lee 16. Two plays later Gordon took a handoff and then threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Kautai with 15 seconds left.

“I have so much respect for Midland Lee’s program,” said Trinity coach Chris Jensen. “Playing against Clint Hartman...I just don’t know of a better coach.”