Trojans handle Frontier, 40-7

It's only one game, but the Oak Ridge High football team won their opening game on Friday over Frontier, 40-7. A year ago, the Trojans lost to Frontier, which began a three-game losing streak and made for a dismal start to the season. Hopefully, this year will be different. After the win, the team hopped back on the bus and drove the five-plus hours back home, arriving home around 4 a.m. Think about how long that drive would have been had they lost. As the final score indicates, the Trojans won easily, and it started with a good start, as the Trojans led 7-0 after one quarter and then piled on 19 more points to their total in the second quarter to lead comfortably, 26-0, at halftime. "It was a really good win against a team ranked in the top-30 in the state," Oak Ridge coach Casey Taylor said. "Dealing with the travel and the high temperatures all week, we thought it would be a tough matchup, but our guys did a great job. We got off to a great starter with a touchdown and then we held them to a three-and-out so we got out in front and stayed out in front." The Trojans didn't run the ball great, but they ran it well enough that they only threw the ball eight times the whole game, competing six of those passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns from Nick Johnson to Isaac Pierce and Ben Rivas. The scoring pass to Rivas was a big one, as it went for 74 yards. Luke Taber also played and completed two-of-three passes for 23 yards and also picked up 12 yards rushing, as both quarterbacks played well, according to Taylor. Pierce caught three passes for 91 yards. On the ground, Tyler Andujar picked up 56 yards and scored twice, while Jasen Womack gained 61 yards and scored one touchdown. As the team, the Trojans gained 164 yards on the ground, averaging just more than four yards per carry. "Tyler and Jasen ran it well and Isaac made two big plays for us, one going for a touchdown," Taylor said. "We also got a field goal from Kyle Boeker and Justen Womack got a safety for us." The Trojans defense held Frontier to only one touchdown. "Defensively, we played well," Taylor said. "Evan Hensley had a pick. We played pretty solid in the secondary, as they had a couple good receivers. We also did a nice job against the run. Brayden Molloy and Justen Womack played well, playing well against the run, and we also got a couple of quarterback hurries." The Trojans now get set for another road game far away from home when they travel to San Diego this week to face Mission Hills. "We told the kids to enjoy this weekend, because it's back to work on Monday because we've got another good team to play Friday in Mission Hills."