Trojans hit hard at home again

Lewis Central blanks Atlantic 42-0, Trojans fall to 1-3 on season

By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / Sept. 21, 2013

ATLANTIC – The Trojans’ offense didn’t show up, and the defense struggled continuously against the speed Lewis Central brought Friday night.

The end result did not bode well for the black-and-gold, as Lewis Central dominated Atlantic for four quarters en route to a 42-0 victory, the Titans’ first of the season.

Lewis Central recorded a safety with a little more than five minutes remaining in the third quarter to stretch a 33-point lead into 35 points, and kick in the running clock.

It hastened what proved to be a forgettable evening for Atlantic.

“It obviously wasn’t a great game for us,” Trojans head coach Nick Ross said afterwards. “We need to do a lot of things better, not only the players, but us coaches, too.  We need to make sure we are able to put them in a position to be successful.”

Lewis Central jumped out 12-0 after one quarter and 19-0 at the half before tearing the game open in the third quarter when they scored four times, and put the game out of reach.

LC’s offense out-performed the Trojans 362 yards to Atlantic’s 51 despite running around the same number of plays (61 to Atlantic’s 55). Titans’ quarterback Austin Simmons completed 12-of-18 pass attempts for 169 yards, and the LC ground attack hashed out a season-high 216 yards rushing.

“They are very athletic and very explosive,” coach Ross says of LC. “But there are a few things we could have done better. They were physical and they did a good job with that, but we didn’t help ourselves at all as far as execution goes.”

For the first time this season, Atlantic did not turn the ball over. However six quarterback sacks slowed the offense as the Trojans’ struggled against LC’s aggressive pass rush and defensive penetration.

The loss drops Atlantic’s record to 1-3 on the season, and 0-2 in Class 3A District 1 play. The Trojans will return to work next week as they prepare for next Friday’s Homecoming game against Denison.

“All around, we will look at some film, and them come back Monday ready to work, and ready to do everything better for everyone on our team,” coach Ross says.

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