Dowell scores 50th career TD as Trojans win 54-17 on homecoming
Trojans run for 457 yards as a team while defense allows just one score in final three quarters
Gregory Orear
General Manager/Editor
TROY – After spotting Francis Howell Central 10 points in the first quarter, the Troy-Buchanan football team literally ran over the Spartans in a convincing 54-17 homecoming win Friday night.
Carter Dowell, who came into the game with 386 rushing yards and six scores over the first four games, ran for 308 yards and five touchdowns, including the 50th of his career, to lead the Trojans to the lopsided win.
With Tre Lococo adding 147 rushing yards and a pair of scores while filling in for the injured Chris Wengert, the Trojans amassed 464 yards on the ground, nearly all of which (457 yards) came in the last three quarters.
A miscommunication on the opening kickoff allowed the Spartans to recover the ball deep in Trojan territory on the 20-yard line.
Six plays and a defensive offsides later, the Spartans scored on a 5-yard TD pass from Jason Campbell to Xavier Morrison.
On the ensuing drive, the Trojan offense sputtered, gaining just those seven rushing yards before a dropped pass and a 31-yard punt gave the Spartans the ball back on their own 37.
The Spartans went on a long, 12-play drive that included seven passes and moved the ball once again inside the Trojan 10-yard line. But this time, Troy’s defense came up with a stop and forced a Spartan field goal, which extended the lead to 10-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Spartans attempted a squib kick in an effort to recover the ball again, but instead, kicked it out of bounds giving Troy great field position.
Wengert carried the ball for eight yards for one of his two carries on the night, and from there, Dowell took over. After a 13-yard run in which a defender barely tripped him up, Dowell broke loose for 34 yards, giving the Trojans a first and goal at the end of the first quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, Dowell scored on a 1-yard run, cutting the lead to 10-7.
From there, the Trojan defense took over and forced a quick punt after a three and out.
After a 36-yard run to start the next drive, Dowell scored from 15-yards out and in a matter of minutes, Troy went from two scores down to leading 14-10.
Another three-and-out pre-empted another two-play scoring drive, this time capped by a 51-yard touchdown run from Dowell giving Troy a 20-10 lead after a blocked point after try.
Central responded with their best drive of the game, 12 plays covering 67 yards and ending with a 5-yard TD run by Campbell to cut Troy’s lead to 20-17 with 3:13 left in the half.
Troy though wasn’t done scoring yet and after a 61-yard Dowell touchdown run was called back due to a penalty, Carter Schafer connected on a 34-yard touchdown pass to Carson Twellman.
A second PAT was blocked and Troy led 26-17 at halftime.
The second half was more of the second quarter, with a bunch of short touchdown drives for the Trojan offense and an even better performance by the defense.
Dowell scored first on a 57-yard touchdown run with 7:52 to play in the third quarter.
Lococo struck next with his first touchdown, covering 71 yards with just 23 seconds left in the third quarter.
Dowell then added his fifth score of the game, and 50th of his career, on a 31-yard run with 6:37 left in the game. Lococo closed out the scoring on a 55-yard run about two minutes later.
With the Trojans finishing with north of 450 rushing yards, Shafer managed to complete 8 of 12 passes for 87 yards, one interception and one score.
Twellman led the team with four catches for 53 yards.
On defense, several Trojans turned in standout performances, led by senior linebacker Talan Rowland who recorded 10 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Elijah Conley, Conner Ryan and Donovan Miller each added nine sacks, with Conley recording a sack in the first half. Ryan also intercepted a pass early in the fourth quarter, setting up Dowell’s fifth touchdown of the game.
With the win, the Trojans (4-1) head on the road to St. Charles to take on the Francis Howell Vikings (3-2). After suffering a tough 50-0 loss to Cardinal Ritter in Week 3, the Vikings have rebounded with 48-0 and 31-19 wins over Francis Howell North and Fort Zumwalt West the last two weeks.
Troy beat Francis Howell last year 34-27 at home, snapping a 22-game losing streak dating back to 2002.
