After a rash of injuries stunted Central Holmes season, the Trojans are starting to get healthy and become the team that coach Jim Crowder thought they could be. The Trojans used a punishing running attack, led by 243 yards from Wykece Johnson, and poured Benton Academy 36-21 on Friday night.
With the win, the Trojans are now 4-3 on the season and will host Hillcrest Christian on Friday night for homecoming.
Crowder was glad to come away with a win with a still depleted roster.
“Any time you get a win, it’s a good thing,” Crowder said. “We are excited about that. We had a real good week of practice and looked sharper and crisper than we have. We had some sloppy minutes early and I didn’t do a good job of play calling. But we settled down and ran the ball and imposed our will as the game went on.”
After throwing an interception on its first drive, Central Holmes finally got going on the second drive as the Trojans went 80 yards in six plays as Johnson scored on a 55-yard run. Owen O’Bryant booted the PAT and the Trojans led 7-0.
O’Bryant got the ball right back with an interception. The Trojans found the end zone again on a 7-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Head to O’Bryant capped off a five-play, 55-yard drive. The PAT failed and Central Holmes led 13-0.
The Raiders got on the board as the two teams swapped interceptions but Benton returned theirs for a touchdown to cut the score to 13-7.
That was as close as the Raiders got as Central Holmes took the ensuing kickoff and went 65 yards in six plays as Johnson scored on a 3-yard run for a 19-7 lead.
After another Benton interception put the ball at the Benton 18, Johnson scored two plays later on a 13-yard run. O’Bryant’s PAT gave the Trojans a 26-7 lead.
After a Benton punt, Johnson got loose again as he scored on a 74-yard run. O’Bryant’s PAT made the score 33-7, a score that stood until the half.
“Wykece had a great game,” Crowder said. “They really didn’t have an answer for him. He broke a lot of tackles and we pulled him in the third. The offensive line deserves a lot of credit. They get better every week and answer the call every week for us.”
Central Holmes added a 25-yard field goal by O’Bryant in the second half while Benton scored two late touchdowns.
Johnson had 243 yards on 20 carries, all in the first half to lead the Trojans.
Crowder said he was especially proud of the defensive effort his team gave in the first half.
“I thought we shut them down in the first half,” Crowder said. “Their only score was on a pick six. I’m proud of the defense and the way they played. We worked really hard last week trying to tinker with our alignment. I thought they executed well and tackled a lot better.”
