Published: August 30, 2008 12:11 am            

Taylor overcomes 26 penalties to beat TC

SHARPSVILLE — Taylor survived 202 yards in penalties and three tough quarters from Tri-Central, before defeating the Trojans 33-6 Friday night.

The Titans utilized the speed of wide receiver Shawn Fogleman and running back Walter Wheeler to outgain the Trojans 288-185. Who knows how many yards the Titans might have tallied if the officials hadn’t flagged Taylor 26 times, including nine personal fouls.

“Taylor knew they were in a game at halftime,” Tri-Central coach Mark Burdsall said. “We just made too many mistakes. We dropped too many passes when we were wide open. Taylor is a better team than Lapel, so we made some progress, but we’ve got to catch the ball better.

“We tell our kids every day to play classy football, and we’re proud of how they represented themselves tonight.”

Tri-Central turned the ball over five times, losing three of six fumbles and throwing two interceptions. The Trojans were penalized five times for 35 yards.

Fogleman was impressive all night long, able to reach a higher gear and blow past the Tri-Central secondary. The Trojans’ defense held the Titans in check until Fogleman caught a 43 touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Leicht with just :28.3 seconds left in the first quarter.

Leicht struck again with 5:02 left in the half, hitting Fogleman with a 19-yard touchdown pass. Fogleman finished with nine catches for 180 yards and two scores and kicked three extra points. Leicht completed 17 of 26 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

Taylor still led just 14-0 after three quarters but that score would change dramatically in a wild fourth quarter.

The Titans stretched their advantage to 20-0 just four seconds into the fourth quarter when Wheeler sprinted in from nine yards out. Wheeler narrowly missed rushing for 100 yards, gaining 92 yards on 8 carries.

Tri-Central cut the lead to 20-6 with 11:14 to go when Robby Howell hit Corban Fiscus with a 35-yard touchdown pass. Fiscus caught four passes on the night for 84 yards.

Taylor coach Josh Ousley was not available for comment after the game.

The 2-0 Titans return home to face Mid-Indiana Conference rival Western Friday, while the 0-2 Trojans go on the road to face Hoosier Heartland Conference rival Carroll.

        

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