Troy squad shows improvement in loss to Clark Fork

The Troy Trojans fell to the Clark Fork Wampus Cats 30-8 during a Sept. 26 away game.

Despite the defeat, head coach Luke Haggerty said he was proud of his team’s performance.

“It was our best game of the year by far,” he said.

Currently, the Trojans are 0-5 for their season. Haggerty said the Clark Fork game was much closer than the score suggested. On every drive, the Trojans made it into the Cat’s red zone.

While the game was called with three minutes left in the third quarter due to lightning, Haggerty said his squad had a good chance of narrowing the margin if they had played the full game.

Dylan Greene of the Bonner County Daily Bee reported that torrential downpours throughout the game forced both teams to focus on their ground game.

Since the start of the season, Haggerty has worked to develop the Trojan’s running offense. Still, in their opening games of the fall, the squad relied heavily on passing to move the ball down the field.

“It seems like that happens every year where your goal is to run the ball and by halftime, you realize it’s not going to work and then you’re gonna have to pass,” Haggerty said after a Sept. 18 game against Charlo.

The switch to a run-heavy strategy worked in the Trojan’s favor during their game against Clark Fork.

Sophomore quarterback Trevor Grant scored the Trojan’s single touchdown early in the second half on a 35-yard run. During the second quarter, Grant also managed a 62-yard touchdown run that was called back due to a holding penalty.

Defensively, Haggerty said his squad continued to focus on wrapping up and swarm tackling. Facing off against the Cats’ I-formation, the Trojans used a four-four defensive alignment.

Haggerty said this scheme allowed Troy to leverage the power of defensive left tackle Jace Fisher. Standing at six foot five inches and weighing 310 pounds, the senior remains the key to Troy's line.

The Trojans will go on to face the Victor Pirates in an away game on Oct. 3.

Haggerty said his team was excited about the coming matchup. With both teams ranked low in the league and neither having logged a win this season, Haggerty expects it to be a close game.

“It’s like our Super Bowl,” he said.