In just two weeks, Chris Ezell has learned some important things about his football team.
Last week’s 54-0 Trigg County win over Ohio County showed the fifth-year head coach that the Wildcats can keep their foot on the gas and not let an opponent hang around.
On Friday, he saw his Wildcat team answer every score Hart County put on the board in a 35-34 loss at Perdue Field.
Trailing 35-28 after the Raiders scored a go-ahead touchdown with 3:28 left, Trigg County drove 58 yards over 10 plays, capped by a six-yard touchdown run by Davaree Gude with 30 seconds remaining.
Instead of going for a tie with a PAT kick that could have sent the game to overtime, Ezell opted to go for two points and the outright win. Gude, who ran for four of Trigg’s five touchdowns, was stopped by the Raider defense. Hart County ran out the clock for the one-point win.
“Just their style of play (Hart County), it’s tailor-made for overtime. You just have to get 10 yards in four plays, and I told our guys, ‘I believe in you guys and we’re going for the win,” Ezell said. “Just because it didn’t work, it doesn’t change that fact either.”
Hart County’s Wing-T offense gashed Trigg County to the tune of 376 yards on 45 carries. The Raiders put together scoring drives of 17, 10, and seven plays, averaging 8.3 yards a carry.
The Raiders’ success running the football saw them run 12 more plays than Trigg, and kept Ezell making adjustments to stifle their runs.
“We ended up making an adjustment because they ran a quick pitch a few times in the first half, but not a ton. They were killing us more with some inside runs,” Ezell said. “So we made an adjustment, and they come out in the second half, and it’s quick pitch, quick pitch. And then we had to make an adjustment there. They just run it so well. And we knew that going in. They get downhill on you fast.”
Hart County had two backs top 100 yards rushing, led by Kannan Allen’s 151 yards on 13 carries. Jake Crump added 140 yards on 13 attempts.
Fullback Gage Owens added 68 yards on 15 carries, providing the equivalent of a boxer’s body shots as Hart County used him and Crump up the middle and Allen on the quick pitch outside.
Both teams scored in each quarter as every time Hart County scored, Trigg County provided an answer.
The game featured only one punt, but it was the byproduct of the turning point of the contest.
Leading 28-27, Trigg County drove to the Hart County 21-yard line with nine minutes left. However, consecutive holding penalties on the Wildcats backed them up 20 yards, and the drive stalled.
After the Trigg punt, Hart County drove 83 yards on seven plays and took a 33-28 lead on a 27-yard run by Allen with 3:28 left.
Hart converted the two-point conversion for the 35-28 lead.
Gude led the Wildcats with 185 yards on 19 carries and put up the fourth four-TD game of his career. He also moved past Kelsey Parham (2,651) and Edgar McGee (2,652) into seventh place on the school’s all-time rushing list as he closes in on 3,000 career yards.
Trigg County put up 344 yards, averaging 8.3 yards a play.
Sophomore Caden Scott completed a career-best 14 passes in 19 attempts for 145 yards. At one point, he completed 11 consecutive passes.
“He made some great throws tonight,” Ezell said. “ Those were some grown man throws, and I think he grew up tonight.”
Peyton Williams had five catches for 56 yards and became the ninth Trigg player to top 1,000 career receiving yards.
One area Trigg will need to clean up is penalties. The Wildcats were flagged nine times for 72 yards and had a touchdown nullified on a flag – their third in two weeks.
Hart County, which advanced to the Class 3A state semifinals two seasons ago, has produced a 35-6 record over the past four seasons. During that span, the Raiders are 11-2 in games decided by a touchdown or less, including 1-1 this season.
Trigg County looks to take the same path to learning how to win the close games, with Friday just its fourth game in four years decided by a touchdown.
Trigg County (1-1) will host Marshall County on Friday at Perdue Field for homecoming. The Marshals lost to Caldwell County 30-28 on Friday to drop to 1-1.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS FROM THE GAME
HART COUNTY 35 TRIGG COUNTY 34
TOTAL YARDS – Trigg County 344, Hart County 448
RUSHING – Trigg County 22-199 (Gude 19-185, Alexander 3-14) Hart County 45-376 (Allen 13-151, Crump 13-140, Owens 15-68, Shoulders 3-15, Boone 1-2)
PASSING – Trigg County, Scott 14-19, 145 yards, 1 INT; Hart County, Shoulders 5-8, 72 yards
RECEIVING – Trigg County (P. Williams 5-56, Renfroe 4-50, Gude 3-17, Bellows 1-17, Edison 1-5) Hart County (Allen 3-40, Crump 1-19, Rice 1-13)
PENALTIES – Trigg County 9-72; Hart County 8-80
SCORING PLAYS
HC – Crump 2-yard run (Hawkins kick), 9:22, 1Q, HC 7 TC 0
TC – Gude 18-yard run (Renfroe kick), 5:50, 1Q, HC 7 TC 7
HC – Crump 19-yard pass from Shoulders (Kick blocked), 7:51, 2Q, HC 13 TC 7
TC – Alexander 3-yard run (Renfroe kick), 6:16, 2Q, TC 14 HC 13
HC – Crump 50-yard run (Pass failed), 5:30, 2Q, HC 19 TC 14
TC – Gude 58-yard run (Renfroe kick), 5:30, 2Q, TC 21 HC 19
HC – Allen 3-yard run (Shoulders 2-point run), 7:18, 3Q, HC 27 TC 21
TC – Gude 1-yard run (Renfroe kick), 1:38, 3Q, TC 28 HC 27
HC – Allen 27-yard (Allen 2-point run), 3:28, 4Q, HC 35 TC 28
TC – Gude 6-yard run (Run failed), :30, 4Q, HC 35, TC 34
