TBHS whips Ladue 43-0 in season opener; plays O’Fallon Friday at 7 p.m. in first home game

By Gregory Orear

General Manager/Editor

LADUE – The Troy-Buchanan high school football team started the Labor Day weekend by making easy work of Ladue in a 43-0 season opening win.

Fresh off a season when the Trojans won their first 10 games of the season, a district championship and a repeat trip to the state playoffs, Troy turned to some familiar faces to win its first game of 2025.

Senior quarterback Hunter Humphries threw a pair of touchdowns and ran for another before the backups came in midway through the third quarter with the Trojans in control.

Senior Chris Wenger added a pair of touchdowns including one on the ground and one on the final play of the first half, a 57-yard bomb from Humphrey who battled leg cramps throughout the first half.

In a first game typically filled with penalties, Troy struggled on its first drive, capped by a Humphrey interception deep in Ladue territory.

Humphrey though quickly atoned for that mistake on the next drive, racing 61 yards for a touchdown and after a Carter Dowell two-point run, Troy led 8-0.

On the next Ladue drive, Aidan Baker recovered a fumble for the first of three Troy turnovers and a few plays later, Wenger waltzed untouched into the end zone for a touchdown as Troy  led 15-0 with 4:39 to play in the opening quarter.

Humphrey threw his first touchdown pass with 3:12 left in the first half as Carson Twellman caught a screen pass and raced untouched 40 yards for a score as the Trojans pulled away 22-0.

Ladue put together its most productive drive of the game before halftime and moved the ball deep into Troy territory, but junior cornerback Markis Reynolds picked off a pass with his back on the Trojan goal line to preserve the shutout.

Reynolds raced 26 yards, setting up the Trojan offense for one more drive when Humphrey heaved a pass to Wenger on the final play to put the game away at 29-0.

Twellman picked off a pass early in the third quarter and returned it 58 yards down to Ladue’s one yard line setting up a Dowell touchdown run.

Tre Lococo closed out the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run with 2:07 to play in the quarter.

Humphreys finished the game completing four of seven passes for 101 yards, two scores and a pick. He ran the ball 10 times for 122 yards and another score.

Wenger ran the ball three times for 38 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 63 yards and another score. He also led the team with 8 tackles.

Twellman caught two passes for 41 yards and a touchdown on offense, adding the interception and a tackle on defense.

Other defensive standouts included Roland, Reynolds, Baker and Elijah Conley with five tackles apiece.

The Trojans play their home opener Friday night against O’Fallon, which opened its season with a 24-8 win over Triad. Troy beat O’Fallon 55-20 on the road last season.

Kickoff Friday night is at 7 p.m.