The horrible week of preparation led to a disastrous performance in the Tigers’ first game following being ranked the No. 1 team in Class 2A by the Associated Press and the Indiana Football Coaches Association.
“This game was lost at practice during the week,” said Able. “We had three not-so-good practices on a week when we are playing the No. 1 team in the state.”
The game plan was to limit Lutheran’s running game and make standout junior quarterback Jackson Willis a one-dimensional passer. When the final horn sounded on the scoreboard, senior running back Braydon Hall had more rushing yards than Willis had passing yards.
Hall rumbled behind Lutheran’s massive offensive line for 228 yards and four touchdowns (three rushing).
“He is a good little running back. He is real shifty,” said Able. “He had a little bit more power than we thought. We have to tackle better.”
Triton Central fell behind 28-0 before Jace Stuckey dropped a pass deep into the end zone that was caught by Mason Compton with 28 seconds left in the first half. The extra point kick attempt by Levi Dewey was blocked.
After a short punt midway through the third quarter and a 15-yard penalty, Lutheran started at the Triton Central 17-yard line and Hall needed just two rushing attempts to reach the end zone again.
Triton Central responded with a quick, short passing game and a lot of Stuckey scrambling to finally catch a receiver running deep. The senior aired out a long pass to Brayden Wilkins who coasted into the end zone from 44 yards out to make it 35-13.
An onside kick followed and Triton Central recovered but as in many cases all game, the Tigers failed to capitalize. TC failed on a fourth-down conversion near midfield and Hall just kept running downhill.
“Their line of scrimmage is much bigger than ours on both sides,” said Able. “If they lose this year, I will be surprised.”
Triton Central finished the game with 66 rushing yards on 31 attempts – 18 rushes by Stuckey. He completed 17 of 36 pass attempts for 214 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Compton led the Tigers with six catches for 70 yards. Wilkins had four catches for 89 yards.
Willis, who threw for more than 400 yards in his team’s 2022 win at Triton Central, only made six pass attempts in the second half Friday. He was 14-of-27 in the win for 167 yards and three touchdowns.
Able has nimbly dealt with his team’s justifiable preseason hype throughout the summer and preseason. On Friday, the Tigers were handed a wake-up call at Lutheran.
“We have that feeling that we’re not maybe what we thought we were,” said Able. “It’s just sad that we didn’t play better.
“I am not worried about wins and losses. I am worried about playing better. I am worried about playing harder. I am worried about playing tougher. I am worried about practicing harder and lifting harder. It’s all those other things – they are all for the game.”
Triton Central, now 2-1 (1-1 Indiana Crossroads Conference), hosts Monrovia (3-0, 1-0), a 27-26 overtime winner of Class 2A, No. 5 Linton-Stockton Friday.
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