Troup Takeover: Wildcats Run Away in 32-13 Victory Over @ncsdcolts

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News

Luke Rainey | September 3, 2021

NORTHERN CAMBRIA–Although both Northern Cambria and Homer-Center sought to avenge their losses in Week 1, it was the Wildcats who left Duffy Daugherty Field with their first win of 2021.

It was a game that began in strike-counterstrike fashion, as both of Homer-Center’s passing touchdowns for 83 and 40 yards in the first half were immediately followed by scores for the Colts. Nonetheless, despite trailing 13-12 at halftime, the Wildcats strung together 20 unanswered points throughout the 3rd and 4th quarters to finish with a 32-13 victory.

Senior running back Collin Troup’s 91 rushing yards in the second half–54 of them on the drive building to the go-ahead touchdown–was largely responsible for initiating the momentum swing.

“Collin had a nice game,” Wildcats’ Head Coach Greg Page said. “Landon Hill also gave us some good carries, as well as Justin Walbeck. We had a couple nice passes, but we did really well with the guys churning the ball up front at the line.”

The Wildcats deferred to Northern Cambria at the start of the game, but both offenses would start with little progress. After exchanging punts, the Wildcats were faced with third-and-12 midway through the first quarter. From Homer-Center’s 17-yard line, Junior quarterback Cole McAnulty connected deep to split end Michael Krejocic, who ran to the end zone unmatched for an 83-yard touchdown.

The Colts were quick to respond. A pair of runs for a combined 39 yards by Colton Paronish moved the Colts to Homer-Center’s 22-yard line. Two plays later, Junior wide receiver Xander Dolansky scored a 21-yard rushing touchdown, and a successful extra point kick put the Colts ahead 7-6.

Homer-Center surgically moved against the Colts’ defense on an 11-play drive. They reached Colts’ territory before a 15-yard penalty for intentional grounding sent them to the 40-yard line and forced third-and-25. This was not enough to stop the Wildcats. McAnulty then struck wide receiver Anthony Rowland for the touchdown to retake the lead.

Of McAnulty’s 147 passing yards in the first half, 123 of them were earned through the touchdowns.

On the next drive, Northern Cambria stuck with the rushing attack. Ten plays in, they faced fourth-and-4 from Homer-Center’s 24-yard line. Paronish would be stopped short by the Wildcats for a turnover on downs.

The Colts would regain possession after forcing a punt, and would utilize a 36-yard pass from quarterback Owen Bougher to Ben Janosko. The pass precipitated an 8-yard touchdown by Paronish, and the Colts were back ahead 13-12.

The score was unchanged at halftime, giving Homer-Center possession while trailing by 1 point. The Wildcats commanded the drive by sticking fully with their running backs, giving Collin Troup the most action on nine carries. He added 54 yards to his rushing total, but Hill completed the drive with a touchdown for 5 yards.

Following a Colts’ three-and-out, the Wildcats did not deviate from what worked on their previous drive. McAnulty moved Homer-Center to Northern Cambria’s 15-yard line on a 43-yard scramble, and Troup would score a 2-yard touchdown four plays later.

The touchdown did not come without a stressful moment, however. The Wildcats were faced into fourth-and-4 from the Colts’ 9-yard line. McAnulty’s pass was intercepted by Peyton Myers at the goal-line, but a pass interference penalty undid his efforts and kept the Wildcats’ drive intact. Homer-Center was unsuccessful on the 2-point conversion attempt for the fourth time, but still held a 24-13 advantage late in the 3rd quarter.

The Colts punted again to start the fourth quarter, but it would not take long before their offense would retake the field. With 10:34 remaining, McAnulty threw an interception by Ty Dumm at Northern Cambria’s 50-yard line.

The turnover had the chance to be a pivotal turning point in favor of Northern Cambria. Instead, it collapsed once the Colts fumbled on the first play. Noah Henry made the recovery for the Wildcats, and Homer-Center’s offense would dominate the time of possession throughout the final quarter. They put together a perfect clock-management effort through a 13-play drive, capped by a 5-yard passing touchdown to freshman Austin Zenisek on fourth-and-goal. They scored their first successful 2-point conversion with a run by Hill.

By the time Homer-Center’s offense was off the field, the Colts trailed by 19 with less than 3 minutes remaining, securing a momentum-driven victory for the Wildcats.

The “ground-and-pound” strategy took its toll on the Colts, as recognized by Head Coach Sam Shutty.

“They wore us down,” Shutty lamented. “I think we had a good game plan coming into it. I thought we had them on the ropes there, minus the two big plays, but we felt good at halftime. They came out and made some adjustments, and they basically just punched us right in the face.”

Meanwhile, Homer-Center’s win moved them to 1-1 on the season

“I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Coach Page explained. “They really took control at the end of the first half, had a couple nice drives. They snuck a big pass on us late in the half, and I thought our guys could’ve given more at that time.

“So, that was the message at halftime. In the second half, we came out and moved the ball down the field, and got a couple of scores.”

As the Wildcats prepare to host the 0-2 Lions, Northern Cambria will seek their first win on the road against the unbeaten Cambria Heights Highlanders.

(Photo Credit: Ava Overdorff)

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