TROJAN FOOTBALL: Trojans head to Marshall to face undefeated Tigers

MARSHALL — For the first half of last week’s home game against the Luverne Cardinals, the Trojan football team was able to stay within striking distance of their state-ranked Southwest Conference opponent.

“It was a great first half of football,” WHS coach Brad Grimmius said. “Even though we were down 20-6 we still felt like we were in the ball game with them.”

The second half, however, was a different story.

“The things we did in the first half didn’t carry over into the second,” Grimmius said. “When they blocked that punt after we went three-and-out, you could just see the air come out of the balloon with the guys.

“You try to rally the troops as best as you can, but then it just kind of snowballed after that point.”

Despite the team’s struggles in the second half, Worthington’s running game was able to pick up 139 yards of offense against a tough Luverne defense in the first half.

“There is nothing new we have put in, but it came down to our guys carrying out their fakes,” Grimmius said. “The offense we run is based on deception.

“In that first half, we had running backs who didn’t have the ball and Luverne’s got two, three and, even one time, four guys tackling guys that didn’t have the ball and our fullback was running it down the middle.”

Along with the offensive success, the Trojans also saw a respectable effort by their defense in the first quarter.

“We didn’t give up the big run in that first quarter, so they definitely had to work down the field,” Grimmius said. “But we still did give up too much yardage. Although we didn’t let them make one play and go to the barn with it. They had to work to get down the field.”

Going into this week’s match-up with Marshall, Worthington will need to up their game if they want to keep things closer than they were against Luverne.

“The big thing is we have to elevate ourselves and elevate our line game,” Grimmius said. “And we still have to get better. Even though we lost last week, we still got better as a team.”

The Trojans will see many of the same things they did a week ago against the Cardinals when they hit the field against the Tigers.

“They are very similar to Luverne,” Grimmius said. “They are big up front. They have a bruiser of a fullback. This guy is not going to out run you, but he will run you over. We have to play pad level low and make sure we take him out before he can get going on the tracks.”

On the offensive side, the Trojans will have to find a way to breathe some life into their air attack to bring another dimension to their offense.

“We still have to get our passing game to come,” Grimmius said. “We are working on it in practice, but when you don’t feel comfortable throwing the ball right now, that is not good.”

With rain in the forecast for Friday night, Grimmius knows his team will have to find a way to stay focused even if the weather turns against them.

“There are three things in football you cannot control: you cannot control the referees, you cannot control the weather and you cannot control the talent of the team that you are playing,” Grimmius said. “But what we can control is our attitude, our effort and our preparation. And that is what we are focusing on this week.”

The Trojans will need to give it their all in every phase of the game if they hope to pull off an upset when they take on the Tigers Friday at 7 p.m. in Marshall.

Daily Globe Reporter Jordan Willi

may be reached at 376-7335.

Tags: sports, prep, football, trojans