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Football: Trojans improve to 2-0 with win over Little Elm
By Chris O'dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
LITTLE ELM -- The Lobos couldn't have scripted a better start to Friday night's game against Carrollton Newman Smith.
Little Elm won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff before proceeding to mount a touchdown drive that took nearly half the first quarter at the Little Elm Athletic Complex.
However, the Lobos would lose senior running back Keaun Kinner to dehydration late in the second quarter and the team's offense went stagnant for the remainder of the contest, dropping a 21-7 decision to the Trojans.
The Lobos were also without the services of senior guard Mark Skotnicki and senior quarterback Devante' Pullum, who could return to action next week.
"If we can stay healthy, this team can go as far as it wants to go," Stowers said.
Senior Chris Phelps was making his second straight start in place of the injured Pullum, who strained his hip flexor in the team's final scrimmage.
It was Phelps that found the end zone on the team's opening drive, punching it in from three yards out after Kinner ran for 77 yards earlier in the drive.
"I'm obviously doing something wrong," said Paul Ressa, Newman Smith head coach. "We came out flat again and just weren't ready. I've got to figure something out."
With the Lobos eating much of the opening 12 minutes off the clock, Newman Smith had only one offensive possession in the first quarter and was forced to punt.
The Trojans would have an easier time moving the ball on its second possession, but a fumble by senior quarterback Cole Brewer on 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line gave Little Elm the ball after senior lineman Alex Perez scooped it up.
"I was proud of the way the defense played," Stowers said. "We've fixed some things there and I was pleased with the performance tonight."
Despite another 36 yards from Kinner on the following drive, pushing the senior running back's total to 135 yards on 22 carries, the Lobos couldn't take advantage of the turnover and eventually punted back to Newman Smith.
With Brewer running the two-minute drill before halftime, senior safety Kendrell Anderson eventually put an end to Newman Smith's drive with an interception inside the one-minute mark of the second quarter.
"The kids hung in there and fought their tails off," Stowers said.
The Lobos carried a 7-0 lead into the locker room with senior fullback Terry Royal getting a bulk of Kinner's carries in the final half.
With Kinner sidelined for the remainder of the game, the Trojans took advantage by scoring 10 points on their first two possessions of the third quarter.
Newman Smith's first score of the night came on a 32-yard field goal from senior kicker Edward Valadez that trimmed the Little Elm lead to 7-3 with 6:32 left in the third.
The Trojans then took their first lead of the night on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Brewer to sophomore Marcus Sonnier at the 2:16 mark of the quarter.
"I knew it would be a situation where we had to play lights out on defense in the second half if we were going to win," Stowers said.
Newman Smith committed its third turnover in the game midway through the fourth when senior running back Andy Wordlaw fumbled the ball near the sideline.
The Lobos couldn't do anything with the opportunity and were pushed back six yards before the team's final punt of the night.
After Brewer put the Trojans inside the Little Elm 10-yard line, the Lobos came through with a defensive stand that kept a potential win in sight.
Valadez added his second field goal of the night on a 26-yard kick that put Newman Smith ahead, 13-7, with 2:17 left in the game.
With the Lobos needing only a touchdown to grab their first win of the early season, Phelps had his sixth pass attempt of the night picked off by junior linebacker Spencer Sewell and returned 58 yards for a touchdown.
A successful two-point conversion gave Newman Smith a 21-7 lead with just 1:52 remaining in the game and Little Elm out of timeouts.
Time wouldn't be a factor though as Phelps saw his next pass intercepted in the end zone to give the Trojans their second win of the season.
"We were the better team tonight," Ressa said. "We executed down the stretch and took care of business."
Brewer finished the game with 257 yards, one touchdown and one interception after completing 20-of-28 pass attempts.
"[Brewer] is gutsy," Ressa said. "He gets the thing done. He's just a gamer."
Little Elm fell to 0-2 with the loss after a one-point overtime loss to Sherman last week. The Lobos return to action Friday for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Carrollton R.L. Turner.
"The bottom line is that we have to find a way to get a win," Stowers said.
After a 21-17 victory over McKinney North in their season opener, the Trojans will look for a 3-0 start with a home game against Lake Dallas at the same time.
"[Lake Dallas] is a good team and a well-coached team," Ressa said. "We'll get us a test."
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