#RV Taylor (6-4) defeated Siena Heights (5-4) by a score of 42-28 in a come-from- behind victory on Senior Day. The Trojans’ output on the ground was uncharacteristically low, as they put up a season low of 175 yards. The Taylor ground game averages just under 300 yards per game and is the focal point of the offense.
For the second year in a row, a new name has been added to an elite list. Sophomore running back Nathan Parker is just the seventh Trojan in program history to eclipse 1,000 yards. His season total is 1,280 yards. Head coach Aaron Mingo says Taylor fans can expect more 1,000- yard rushers in the program.
“It’s hard for me to envision that we’ll not have more 1,000-yard rushers in the future,” he said. “I think it’s going to become more common than not.”
Taylor does like to spread the ball around. Sophomore running back Ethan Albert has rushed for 491 yards and freshman running back Jed Galvin has amassed 401 yards on the ground. Parker had led the group, however, as the bell cow and is the feature back in this potent Trojan rushing attack.
Siena Heights broke through first on the scoreboard with 1:51 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead on a six-yard touchdown pass. The Trojans responded on the next drive with a 14 play, 73-yard march down the field that was punctuated by a one-yard touchdown run from junior running back Kyle Turanchick, evening the score at seven apiece.
On the Saints next drive, they methodically drove 80 yards in nine plays that was capped off by a four-yard touchdown pass to go up 14-7. Taylor answered back immediately with an eight play, 59-yard drive that culminated in a 28-yard pass to junior wideout Brady Beall from senior quarterback Damon Hockett.
Both offenses turned the ball over via interception and the score remained tied at 14 to close out the half.
The potent Trojan offense picked up the pace from the end of the first half and struck pay dirt on their first drive of the second half. Hockett ripped a bullet pass to junior wideout Aidan Zimmer from 15 yards out to give the Trojans their first lead of the contest, putting Taylor on top, 21-14.
That would be the only score of the third quarter as both offenses sputtered and had to punt on back-to-back drives. It was Siena Heights that broke through first in the final quarter to tie the game at 21 on a pass from seven yards out.
On 3rd and 12 from their own 31-yardline, the Trojan offense caught the Saints’ defense sleeping when freshman quarterback Alex Amburgy dropped back and unleashed a 62-yard bomb to Zimmer. The pass play set the Trojans up inside the 10-yard line where Nathan Parker rushed in for his 18th touchdown of the season and put the Trojans back in front 28-21.
Sophomore linebacker Maverick Brown came up big on defense for Taylor on Siena Heights’ first play of their next drive, when he intercepted a wobbling pass and gave his offense a fantastic starting field position at the Siena Heights’ 17-yard line.
The Trojan offense easily scored on four straight run plays that ended with another Nathan Parker rushing touchdown. After the PAT was blocked, Taylor extended their lead to 34-21.
“Nathan Parker has done an incredible job this year,” Mingo said. “He (Nathan) has certainly excelled.”
After the Taylor defense forced a three-and-out, the offense was able to put the icing on the cake of this victory as they scored again. This time it came at the hands of Alex Amburgy as he zipped in a 14-yard pass to sophomore tight end Nathan Munson. Amburgy also scored the two-point conversion to further the lead to 42-21.
Siena Heights did try to mount a comeback as they were able to score one final time to close the gap, but it was to no avail, as the Trojans defeated the Saints 42-28.
