No sour grapes, just a sour aftertaste from one that got away. Central Holmes Christian School lost 20-12, Friday on the road against Winona Christian.
Head Coach Jim Crowder’s Trojans led 12-8 heading into the fourth quarter, but some first-half points were left on the field.
“We moved the ball really well,” Crowder said. “We only punted the ball once all night.
The Trojans drove deep into the host Stars’ territory on the first possession, only to have the drive stunted by a bad exchange that left CHCS in “no-man’s land,” too close to punt and too far to kick. A failed fourth-down attempt resulted in a turnover on downs.
The Stars took advantage of the opportunity and the run-first team scored on a halfback-pass. A successful two-point conversion made it 8-0.
“It took a possession or two for us to get adjusted to the speed of the game,” Crowder said.
Injuries and the resulting lack of numbers have made practicing game-type situations difficult, Crowder said.
Later, a Trojan punt pinned the Stars at their own one-yard-line, which led to good field position and the team’s first score, though it failed on a two-point conversion. A second, second-quarter touchdown put CHCS ahead 12-8 at halftime.
The score remained the same through three.
Some lapses in execution continued to hound the Trojans who were otherwise effective offensively.
“In the third quarter we really hurt ourselves with miscues, penalties and turnovers,” Crowder said. “It hurt us.
“It wasn’t a lack of effort. We fought, but when you play a really good team, like we did, we can’t turn the ball over and beat the teams we need to beat.”
In addition to the miscues, CHCS was without running back Wykese Johnson for most of the second half, due to cramping.
A 12-8 lead to begin the fourth with an offense that was only limited by turnovers and penalties could have carried the Trojans past a “very tough and well-coached” Winona team, but it was not. The Stars took care of the ball and scored twice, and won the early-season conference game 20-12.
“We fought as hard,” Crowder said. “But we’re not here for moral victories.
“We’ll learn from it; we’ll move on and we’ll get better.”
