Troy football aims to claim first-ever state title
TROY, PA (WENY) - Troy football has the chance to make history in a couple of days. The Trojans will compete for the program's first-ever state title.
Troy will take on District 9 champion, Central Clarion in the PIAA Class 2A championship on Friday at 1 o'clock. The game will be played at Cumberland Valley High School located in Mechanicsburg, PA.
In last week's semifinal, Troy beat Riverside 35-14 while Central Clarion crushed South Park 55-0. Both teams are undefeated.
The Trojans are averaging over 52 points per game and have only had a single one possession game. They're also giving up just 13.5 points per game. The Wildcats are scoring just under 50 points per game and their defense doesn't allow much at all, giving up just 5.6 points per game. During their state tournament run so far, Central Clarion has only given up 12 total points.
Head coach Jim Smith spoke about the emotions that come with this opportunity.
"It's pure joy, I mean, to be able to come this far and do what we've done is something so rare and special, and we're just really glad to represent not only Troy but the rest of the NTL", said Smith.
Smith called the Trojans starting quarterback, Evan Woodward the "fearless leader" of the team. The senior finished the regular season second in the NTL in passing, completing 76 out of 111 attempts for 1,598 yards. He leads the league in touchdowns with 20 and only has two interceptions.
"Yeah, it's a crazy feeling", said Woodward. "I mean my whole life and you never would have thought that. Obviously this has been the goal, but you never would have thought it would have came true. But we got a great opportunity to go out and play in the state championship on Friday."
Troy's star running back, Brendan Gilliland was third in the NTL in rushing this season. He finished out the regular season with 1,246 rushing yards on 98 attempts, averaging 12.7 yards per carry. The junior is also third in touchdowns, with 23.
"We're confident", said Gilliland. "They're a good team. We've watched the film and they've got some big linemen and a great quarterback. So it's going to be a tough game. But it's a state title game. It's not going to be easy, so it's going to be tough."
Stick with WENY Sports as we bring you highlights and post-game reaction this Friday at 11 o'clock.