Triton Central

TC FOOTBALL SURVIVES, ADVANCES TO SECTIONAL SEMI-FINAL. In a thrilling opening-round matchup of the IHSAA Class 2A Sectional #38, Triton Central held off a determined Centerville squad Friday night to earn a 22–19 victory and advance to the sectional semifinal. The win improves the Tigers to 9–1 on the season. The host Bulldogs struck first, scoring on a 5-yard run in the opening quarter to take a 7–0 lead. Triton Central responded in the second quarter when Conner McClure powered into the end zone from one yard out, and Nick Tormoehlen’s extra point tied the game at 7–7 heading into halftime. The Tigers gained control in the third quarter as quarterback Matthew Wilkins connected with Zeke Robertson for an 18-yard touchdown strike to put TC ahead 14–7. Centerville answered quickly with a 15-yard touchdown run, but a mishandled snap on the extra point preserved Triton Central’s slim 14–13 lead. In the fourth quarter, Centerville surged ahead again with a 21-yard touchdown pass to go up 19–14. Facing elimination, the Tigers mounted a clutch drive capped by a second Wilkins-to-Robertson touchdown—another 18-yarder—with 19.6 seconds left in the game and Braden Brown’s successful two-point conversion run sealed the 22–19 win. Wilkins led the Triton Central offense with 162 passing yards and two touchdowns, both to Robertson, who hauled in four receptions for 75 yards. Brown contributed 77 rushing yards on 17 carries, along with 29 receiving yards and a key two-point conversion. Defensively, Ty Bergman paced the Tigers with 10 tackles and a sack, while Seth Richardson and Devon Gurganus each added strong efforts up front to limit Centerville’s running attack. With the victory, Triton Central advances to the Sectional #38 semifinal and will host Northeastern this Friday at 7 PM. The winner will face the survivor of the Lapel vs. Eastern Hancock matchup for the Sectional Championship on November 6.