Tigers' comeback attempt falls short at Brebeuf
September 10, 2012
Triton Central High SchoolTigers’ comeback attempt falls short at Brebeuf
By Jeff Brown
Sports editor
Published: Monday, September 10, 2012 7:05 AM US/eastern
INDIANAPOLIS — Triton Central made the most of its second chance to compete against Brebeuf Jesuit.Trailing 21-0 and less than a minute into the second quarter Friday, lightning delayed the game. The arrival of heavy rain forced the postponement until Saturday night, and it was the Tigers that proved it was better than its sluggish first-quarter performance 24 hours earlier.Making his first varsity start at quarterback, Dillon Nelson threw two second quarter touchdowns to get the Tigers within nine points. An interception at the goalline on fourth-and-goal from the Brebeuf 9-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter killed the comeback chances for the Tigers.Quarterback Tyler Holt ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns to eventually lead the Braves to a 34-12 victory at St. Vincent Health Field on the north side of Indianapolis.
“If we can bottle up the enthusiasm and the energy we played with, especially in the second and third quarters, I think we can do some things,” said Triton Central coach Gabe Johnson. “We have to find a way to sustain that. We have to play with that passion and energy. It’s easy to do when things are going well.”Nelson completed 15-of-22 passes for 113 yards, including helping Dakota Nelson make 10 receptions, but had two interceptions and two of his punts blocked by Brebeuf’s Sterling Mitchell.Special teams play was a problem for Triton Central. The Tigers also missed an extra point kick after their first touchdown, and missed on a two-point conversion attempt following the second score. That left the team trailing by two scores at 21-12.The interception on the first play of the fourth quarter hurt, admitted Johnson after the game. With the touchdown, the Tigers would have cut the lead to 21-18 pending the outcome of the extra point.Instead, Ben Powell returned the interception 100 yards for an apparent touchdown. However, Brebeuf was flagged for a penalty near midfield. The Braves maintained possession and drove 81 yards to get the touchdown back when Holt found Carl Vander Kooy wide open in the end zone.The Braves (3-1) added another score when Holt scored from four yards out on the second play after Mitchell blocked his second punt.“That’s the thing that hangs on me the most right now,” said Johnson. “That’s not like us. I don’t know if we had a punt blocked at all last year. (Brebeuf) obviously saw a weakness with us. We decided after Friday to do a little personnel shuffle there and we still got one blocked.”Class 2A Triton Central (2-2) looked overmatched Friday against the 3A private school. An aggressive defensive front seven and the speed of Mitchell and running back LeVante’ Bellamy stunned the Tigers.Brebeuf’s opening drive went 73 yards with Holt going the final 21 for a 7-0 lead.After Nelson’s first punt was blocked, Brebeuf needed just one play from the TC 7-yard line to score again.Holt broke free for a 46-yard run that set up a 14-yard scoring pass to Jack Roberts to make it 21-0.Triton Central took over and ran a first-down play to start the second quarter before officials stopped the game because lightning was nearing the field.
