TROY – T his y ear w as supposed to be different.

After losing 38-7 to the Bruins a year ago in the District 6 championship game, the Trojans had plenty of reasons to be optimistic a very different outcome was coming in 2024.

The Trojans came into the game with a school-record 10-0 mark compared to 8-2 a year ago; as the number one seed, the Trojans were playing at home instead of having to travel to Columbia; and arguably most importantly, Troy’s offense would feature its most dangerous weapon: running back Carter Dowell who had just set a school record with 26 rushing touchdowns after missing last year’s game with a broken collarbone.

And with an enthusiastic crowd cheering them on, the Trojans came out of the tunnel full of confidence, brimming with energy and optimism that they would be advancing to the state quarterfinals with a legitimate shot at a state championship.

But the Bruins trampled that hope and optimism under a crushing running attack that amassed nearly 300 yards on the ground and a lethal kicker who drilled all five field goal attempts, including one well north of the 50-yard range.

Rock Bridge set the tone early, returning the opening kickoff to their own 45-yard line. Three plays later on a third down, Drevyn Seamon ran around the left side and raced 51 yards down the sideline to give Rock Bridge a 7-0 lead 90 seconds into the game.

Troy though had an immediate answer as Dowell took the handoff on the first play from scrimmage and ran 42 yards down to the Bruin 34. Three plays later on third down, Hunter Humphries scrambled 32 yards for the second touchdown in less than four minutes. In an ominous sign of how well the Bruins’ special teams would play that night, Rock Bridge blocked the extra point to keep the score at 7-6.

Rock Bridge took its time on the next drive, rushing the ball on 12 of 13 plays covering over seven minutes. Donivan Taylor capped the 67-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run, again on third down, to give the Bruins a 14-6 lead.

After the Trojans failed to convert a first down on the next drive, the Bruins took over with great field position at the Trojan 45. Six plays later, a third Bruin, Derrick Young, recorded a rushing touchdown from 31 yards out.

Troy’s offense sputtered the rest of the half, managing just 2 first downs on two drives, generating only 48 yards while the three drives ended on a pair of interceptions and a blocked punt.

The Trojan defense, which spent a lot of time on the field for a second consecutive game, managed to keep the Bruins out of the end zone. However, thanks to sophomore kicker Rocco DePrima, Rock Bridge added two more field goals on kicks of 37 and 52 yards, the latter of which would have been good from 55.’

Those two kicks were just the opening act for DePrima who added three more field goals in the second half on kicks from 35, 30 and 39 yards. Taylor added a one-yard touchdown run after a Trojan fumble for the final Bruin TD.

Troy battled back in the fourth quarter starting with a Chris Wenger 17yard touchdown with 11:43 on the clock, capping a 7-play, 82-yard drive.

Dowell added a fiveyard run in the final two minutes to complete the scoring.

Dowell finished the game with 133 rushing yards on 14 carries and Humphrey finished with 63 on 11 rushes. He also completed three off 10 passes for 16 yards and three interceptions.

Anthony Solari led the defense with 17 tackles while Talan Roland and Chris Wenger added 12 and 10 tackles, respectively.

With the win, Rock Bridge hosts DeSmet in the quarterfinal Saturday at 7 p.m. Desmet won a similar matchup in 2023 23-16.