As the Titans took the field Saturday afternoon against the Staley Falcons, the thoughts of last November were still vivid in their heads, but with this victory, they look forward to the rest of the season.
“I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth since last November when we lost to them,” said Senior Offensive Lineman Kyle Morrison.
There was no doubt this was a huge game for the Titans as it was it the rematch of the four overtime state semifinal game, but it was also going to be on ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports.
“The only thing on our mind’s was getting the win. It was a great opportunity to be on ESPN, and have a huge crowd, but we had to block all that out and focus on the game,” said Morrison.
The Titans got up 7-0 early in the game and then extended their lead to 9-0 when a snap went over the Staley kickers head and went out the back of the endzone for a safety. Then later in the first half, Junior Quarterback Thomas Ganaden threw the ball across the middle to Junior Wide-Receiver Monte Harrison for another touchdown and a 16-0 lead.
“Once we started playing, I feel like we eliminated all possible distractions. It was just another football game to us,” said Senior Defensive Lineman Ryan Richardson.
Later in the half, the Titans extended their lead even more after Senior Wide-Receiver Austin Burau ran into the endzone to secure a 23-0 lead. The first half would end with the score at 23-0.
In the second half the Titan’s defense imposed their will with 2 interceptions by Junior cornerback Logan Cheadle and kept the shutout going through the rest of the game.
The game would end with the score 23-0 and the Titans getting their revenge on the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last year.
“The feeling of finally redeeming ourselves as a team after such anticipation, especially our defense was incredible,” said Richardson. “I feel like this is one of the greatest ways we could start the year out, we really came together as a family after working so hard for this matchup and got the job done.”
By: Joe Snodgrass
