MANCHESTER, NH — Throughout the season, Trinity High football players have heard Head Coach Rob Cathcart preach “Next play!” to stress the importance of not dwelling on past mistakes or failures.
The THS defense was paying attention.
After being steamrolled by the Plymouth High ground attack for much of Saturday’s Division II State Semifinal, the Pioneers bowed their backs and stuffed a 2-point conversion attempt late in the fourth quarter to preserve a 29-27 win.
Trinity will take on top-seeded Souhegan, the defending state champs, in the D-II final, Saturday at 1 p.m. at Pinkerton Academy in Derry.
“We knew we had to play at a higher level than we did earlier in the year. We knew we could play with them if we played at that level,” said Cathcart. “They played hard. They got “D” stops when they had to. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Saturday’s semifinal featured sharply contrasting offensive styles. Quarterback Ollie Service deftly conducted Trinity’s attack, built on finesse and speed. Service (12 of 17, 185 yards) threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for a third.
Plymouth’s offensive style, on the other hand, is best described as “blunt force trauma.” The Bobcats ran the ball a whopping 61 times for 429 yards. Leading the way was senior Ben Valenti, who powered his way to 308 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries.
Valenti’s second score came from three yards out with 4:25 remaining, pulling Plymouth to within 29-27.
Plymouth Head Coach Chris Sanborn decided to try and tie the game with a 2-point try and looked to cross up the Trinity defense by using Valenti as a decoy to the left and running senior Logan Marsh over the right tackle. But the Pioneers had the play sniffed out. Linebacker Alejandro Foden, along with linemen Dylan Gartside and Jentsel Mateo swarmed Marsh and stopped him at the 1.
Plymouth would get one final opportunity, taking over at their own 33 with 2:08 remaining. Again, the Trinity defense rose to the occasion and when senior Captain Connor Bishop blew up a screen pass to Valenti on fourth down, the Pioneers had punched their ticket to the state final.
In addition to earning the right to play for the state championship, the win over Plymouth provided the Pioneers with a bit of revenge. Plymouth is the only team to have beaten Trinity over the past two seasons. Earlier this year, the Bobcats embarrassed the Pioneers, 46-14, up in Plymouth.
“I’m just overwhelmed right now. I’m just filled with joy, I feel like I could cry,” said Service, who also had a fumble recovery on defense. “I think we just wanted it more. We wanted revenge for what happened earlier this year and what happened last year.”
Neither team wasted any time getting its offense into gear. Plymouth scored on its opening possession, thanks to a 49-yard touchdown run by Valenti.
Trinity answered quickly, going no-huddle and turning Service loose. The senior connected on three straight passes, including a 41-yard scoring strike to junior Tate Zubhuza running a “skinny post” up the seam.
Zubhuza had a huge game, with five receptions for 121 yards and two scores.
Trinity took its first lead early in the second quarter on a 15-yard touchdown run by senior Davey Durepo. Connor Bishop tacked on the extra point to make it 14-7.
On Trinity’s next possession, Service got a chance to show off his speed and improvisational skills. Facing 4th and 8 from the Plymouth 46, Service managed to escape the Plymouth pass rush, made it to the corner and scampered down the right sideline for a the touchdown and a 21-7 lead with 8:03 to play in the half.
But Plymouth wasn’t ready to roll over and call it a season. The Bobcats answered with a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive. Valenti ripped off big chunks of yardage behind his massive offensive line. But Plymouth cashed in with quarterback Cavan Sanborn’s only pass completion of the day, a 16-yard strike to senior Cooper Legacy, on a wheel route down the right side.
Plymouth came all the way back to tie the game, 21-21, on a 3-yard touchdown run by Sanborn midway through the third quarter.
On the ensuing kickoff, Durepo broke multiple tackles and on a big return but had the ball jarred loose inside the Plymouth 40. The Bobcats pounced on the fumble and seemed primed to re-take the lead.
But their momentum lasted exactly one play. On first down, Logan Marsh was drilled just beyond the line of scrimmage and coughed up the ball. Service came away with the fumble and Trinity was in business at the Plymouth 40.
Two plays later, Service found Zubhuza deep down the middle for a 38-yard touchdown. It was the same pattern Zubhuza had scored on in the first quarter.
“I saw they didn’t have a safety over the top and saw one of our best receivers streaking down the field,” said Service. “And our offensive line does such a great job.”
As Trinity lined up for the extra point, Plymouth was flagged for illegal procedure, moving the ball from the 3-yard line to the 1-and-a-half. In an instant, Cathcart made the decision to gamble and go for a two-point conversion. The move paid off when senior Jaxson Murphy scored on an end around to give Trinity a 29-21 lead.
A fumble by Service set Plymouth up at the Trinity 38. But the Pioneers’ defense dug deep and forced Plymouth into a 42-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth quarter. Sanborn’s kick missed wide right and Trinity maintained its eight-point lead.
After forcing a Trinity punt, Plymouth took over at its own 36. The Bobcats moved downfield almost exclusively on the legs of Valenti. The senior captain capped the run with a three-yard touchdown, cutting the Trinity lead to 29-27 and setting the stage for the pivotal two-point try.
For the conversion, Plymouth used an alternative set, with Marsh lined up under center. Taking the snap, he immediately darted to his right and looked to lean behind the right tackle.
But Trinity had the play scouted. With Marsh taking the snap, the defensive line, led by Dylan Gartside and Jensel Mateo, immediately slammed to its left, collapsing the line of scrimmage. Marsh had no room to slip through and linebacker Alejandro Foden finished him off.
“We had been working in a heavier set, where we bring another lineman in. But when you do that, it hurts our pass coverage, which is how they got that touchdown to 38,” said Cathcart. “So we brought the extra lineman in and we took a gamble.”