When scheduled, a match-up of the 2020 Ohio Division I champion St. Xavier Bombers against the Kentucky 6A champions Trinity Shamrocks of Louisville seemed like a game to circle on the calendar.
St. Xavier didn't know Trinity would come in winless. Nor did they figure they'd lose their first game to end their hopes of an undefeated season.
With Armon Tucker's 1-yard plunge with 57 seconds to go, Trinity notched its first win of the season 33-32. St. Xavier had a final possession and drove the ball, but Brogan McCaughey's fourth-down pass at the Trinity 34 fell incomplete.
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After a quick knee by quarterback Brady Willis, the Shamrocks had knocked off previously unbeaten St. Xavier and proved themselves worthy of their Kentucky rankings.
"They've been close all year," Trinity coach Jay Cobb said. "We've been competitive with everybody we've played. This is by far the best football team we've played. This is a quality football team and that's a quality win."
Cobb is in his first year coaching the Shamrocks after taking over from Bob Beatty who stepped down after last year's title, Trinity's 27th state championship.
Willis, a Bellarmine baseball commit, was 17-for 22 passing for 313 yards and ran for 104 yards and a touchdown. Tucker had a pair of touchdowns and kicker Kellan McLaughlin booted four field goals, including a monster shot from 53 yards.
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"Their main defense I was able to get through," Willis said. 'I had a lot of fun out there. We've showed a lot of heart this year and I think we're really maturing as the weeks go on."
The Shamrocks are one of the top-ranked teams in Kentucky (12th according to MaxPreps) and in Class 6A (No. 4). In Louisville, they've lost to undefeated Male and St. Xavier's Tigers. Carmel, Indiana and Chicago's St. RIta handed them defeats as did Division II La Salle, a Greater Catholic League-South mate of St. Xavier's Bombers.
"We're ranked because of Trinity High School and what it is," Cobb said. "Even though our record wasn't good, our practices were good. Our kids were working hard and trying to get over the hump."
Put them in nearly any public league and they're a team you might not want to play.
"We've done that all year," Cobb said of the comeback. "We got close last week (vs. Louisville St. Xavier) but close doesn't count. We're not into moral victories here at Trinity. We needed the win. We got the win."
St. Xavier's Charles Kellom finished with 112 yards on the ground and 94 receiving with three touchdowns. Brogan McCaughey was 17-for 28 passing for 241 yards and a score to Kellom, plus a rushing touchdown.
"We weren't ready to play tonight, that's 100% on me," St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said. "They came in here and punched us in the mouth. I thought we did a good job of responding but I have to do a better job."
The Bombers were outgained 453-384 in total offense.
"They're scrappy, they've got nothing to lose," Specht said of the Trinity attack. "I'm going to be a better football coach tomorrow, I can tell you that. This team is going to be better coached next week."
Though St. Xavier went 79 yards and scored within the game's opening three minutes, Trinity's Shamrocks were unfazed, answering the score with a 10-play drive of their own that ended with quarterback Willis running unscathed for a 26-yard score.
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They followed with another long drive and in the opening seconds of the second quarter and led 10-7 after a 24-yard field goal by McLaughlin. Late in the first half, St. Xavier was stopped on two consecutive plays at the 23-yard line and had to settle for a Mason Rohmiller 33-yard field goal to tie the game at 10.
Trinity snared momentum back with a drive before half that culminated with a McLaughlin 45-yard pop through the uprights.
After a blocked punt, St. Xavier scored quickly to retake the lead, only to see McLaughlin drill a 53-yard field goal to creep within one. Following an onside kick, the Shamrocks had another punch and took the lead again after a Tucker 5-yard score.
McLaughlin would add a fourth field goal to go up nine, but McCaughey's 65-yard strike to Kellom pulled St. Xavier within two at 26-24. Late in the game, Kellom gave the Bombers another brief lead with a touchdown, but Trinity responded with a nine-play 61-yard drive and Tucker's victory score. McLaughlin's extra point was the eventual winning tally.
The Bombers now have to dust themselves off to face La Salle with a chance to win the GCL-South title next week back at RDI Stadium at Ballaban Field.
"We're talking about 15, 16, 17-year-old kids," Specht said. "They're going to learn from this. I told the kids, 'I guess this means we're not going to be undefeated this year guys.' In the history of St. X we maybe have had three undefeated teams. I think our goals are intact. We have an opportunity to win a GCL title against a great La Salle team."
Trinity will be back in Louisville against Ballard next Friday, yet another team with a better record than theirs.
As the winning bus pulled away, that game was the furthest thing from their minds.
"Two hours is going to seem like 20 minutes," Willis said.
LOUISVILLE TRINITY 7 6 10 10
7 3 7 15 32
StX - Kellom 7-yard run (Rohmiller kick)
T - Willis 26-yard run (McLaughlin kick)
T - McLaughlin 24-yard FG
StX - Rohmiller 33-yard FG
T - McLaughlin 45-yard FG
StX - McCaughey 6-yard run
T - McLaughlin 53-yard FG
T - Tucker 5-yard run (McLaughlin kick)
T - McLaughlin 39-yard FG
StX - McCaughey 65-yard pass to Kellom (Rohmiller kick)
StX - Kellom 1-yard run (Klare pass to McCaughey)
T - Tucker 1-yard run (McLaughlin kick)
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