Horsemen end football season on winning note
The air in Plains was filled with more than raindrops and blowing dust Friday night.
Behind a potent passing attack and a hard-hitting defense, the Horsemen evened their 8-man football season record at 4-4 with a 48-12 win over the
visiting Troy Trojans.
Plains struck first in the contest, which was marred by gusting winds and periods of heavy rain, when junior running back Gavin Regalado crossed the goal line on a 7-yard TD run with 10:31 remaining in the opening frame.
Five minutes later, with Troy in the middle of a steady drive, Horsemen safety Kade Pardee intercepted a Trojan pass and returned it to the Troy 24-yard line. Pardee, also a wide receiver, grabbed a pass from senior quarterback Treydon Brouillette on the next play, running the score to 12-0 Plains with 5:40 on the first quarter clock. Regalado added the extra point run, making it 14-0 Horsemen.
Led by standout linebacker Esvin Reyes, Plains forced Troy into a three-and-out situation resulting in a punt which gave the Horsemen the ball at their own 20.
On the ensuing possession, Plains marched down the field quickly behind the arm of Brouillette, capping that drive with a razzle-dazzle 25-yard scoring toss from
Brouillette to Regalado who then lofted the ball downfield where it was hauled in by Tucker Foster, boosting the Plains lead to 22-0 with 4:30 remaining.
Once again the Plains defense held and forced Troy to punt, resulting in the Horseman having possession on their own 32. With Reyes running for two first downs and a costly pass interference call on the Trojans, Plains moved the ball to the 8-yard line where another six points. The successful point after run put the score at 28-0 with just 38 seconds left in the first quarter.
Troy then completed a 44-yard pass on their next possession, giving them the ball at the Plains 5.
On the next play, Trojan running back Ricki Fisher scooted around end to put Troy on the scoreboard as time was running out in the action-packed first quarter.
Before the final ticks of the clock, Troy tried an onside kick and recovered the ball, giving them possession and good field position to open the second quarter.
However, a scoreboard malfunction created a lengthy delay as rain began to fall before action resumed. When play continued, Troy moved the ball steadily down to the Plains 5-yard line. On the next play, Pardee intercepted a Trojan pass in the end zone, giving the Horsemen the ball and thwarting a promising Troy drive.
A short time later, Brouillette flipped the ball to Regalado who found Pardee racing down the sidelines on his way to a 65-yard TD. That score pushed the Plains lead to 34-6.
The Horsemen defense continued to stifle Troy, forcing another punt.
A long Plains drive ensued, capped by a 3-yard flip from Brouillette to Foster, good for a 42-6 lead, which held up through the end of the first half.
Troy got the ball to open the second half and rolled methodically downfield, despite being plagued by more costly penalties. The Trojans finally cashed in on the drive when Ricky Starks ran in from seven yards out with 4:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Plains answered that score when Brouillette and Reyes hooked up on a 27-yard TD pass, making it 48-12 in favor of the Horsemen.
With the clock running mostly non-stop due to the mercy rule, the fourth quarter went by quickly and ended without either team scoring again.
The loss dropped Troy to 1-8 on the year.
Plains coach Eddie Fultz, whose team loses three key seniors: Brouillette, Reyes and Nathan McNulty (who sat this one out with an arm injury) said he is optimistic about next season.
“It was good to square the season record,” he said. “If everyone who can comes back next year, the future looks good.”