HOWARD — Patience and perseverance, along with a pair of Tyler Stoyle touchdown passes, lifted the visiting Centerburg Trojans over the East Knox Bulldogs, 21-13, in Friday’s Mid-Buckeye Conference football showdown.
It was a penalty-filled game that was marked with stalled drives and turnovers, along with big plays. It was a crucial win for the Trojans (4-1, 1-1 MBC) who want to stay in the hunt for an MBC title, despite last week’s loss to conference-powerhouse Johnstown.
“We had to come out as hard as we did against Johnstown,” said Centerburg lineman Brock Cutlip. “Our practice was good. We came out here and the game was ugly, but we pulled it off.”
The winless Bulldogs showed a few unexpected plays to the Trojans, including an onside kick to start the game. East Knox then drove to the Centerburg 32, where Bulldog receiver Steven Jacobs coughed up the ball and Dylan Craker recovered for Centerburg.
Later in the quarter, the Trojans would see a Hayden Frazee sack of quarterback Stoyle (18-for-22, 258 yards, two TDs and no interceptions) and a penalty kill the drive at the Bulldogs’ 24.
“It was a frustrating night.” said Centerburg head coach Jim Stoyle. “We had a lot of adversity tonight and we kept fighting and we finally got it done.”
