Taking an early 8-0 lead in the first quarter off a TD run and conversion by DMS Saint Isaac Knowles, the Yellow Jackets scoring in the second and third was enough for Trousdale to take a 16-8 victory Thursday at VanHooser Field.
“Overall it’s not what we wanted,” said DMS head football coach Justin Poteete. “We started pretty good  and got up early. They made some adjustments on the defensive side and we were just slow in adjusting off of it.”
“We played pretty good defense, we gave up 16 and had a miscue on one big play that they got. Overall we have to sure up a few things especially on the defensive side of the ball,” Poteete said. “Our linebackers have to flow better, they’re getting too far back they have to come down hill. Offensively up front we just have to pick it up a bit. We’re going to be a downhill football team we’ve got to block when they bring 7-8 in the box. Just those few things but we’ll work at it.”
On their first possession, the Saints started a successful drive from their own 30-yard line and took the pigskin on the ground to the end zone on the combined running of Saints Isaac Knowles and Josh May. Knowles took it in for the two-point conversion with 1:10 left on the clock in the first quarter, dominating time of possession.
A breakout run on the return by Trousdale’s Jonathan Brandon set the Jackets up on a first-and-goal, but stand-up defense by the Saints with plays like Brady Hale’s backfield penetration, tackling Brandon for a loss, forced a turnover on downs without the Jackets being able to score.
DeKalb couldn’t muster up much offense on its next possession and was forced to punt.
Trousdale wasted no time as RB Bryson Claiborne ran for over 40 yards and the touchdown with a good conversion to knot the game at 8 to start the second quarter.
A long pass by Saints QB Kolter Kilgore put DMS back into Jacket territory, where they ran into a wall of Trousdale defenders and weren’t able to capitalize on the ground, turning the ball over on downs. Trousdale couldn’t get off a play and the half ended tied at 8.
The Yellow Jackets got the kickoff in the second half, starting on their own 44-yard line. A healthy dose of Claiborne on the ground, combined with some misdirection with the keeper by Jacket’s QB Mason Maddox, allowed Trousdale a first-and-goal situation from the 9-yard line where Claiborne took it home and scored the conversion for the winning TD, 16-8 with 2:54 left in the third quarter.
Trousdale gave the Saints one more chance by turning the ball over on downs after Saints’ defender May sacked Maddox, giving DeKalb great field position. Rain finally fell however, and the Saints couldn’t convert as time ran out.
The DMS Saints will travel to Upperman on Thursday, Sept. 7. Game time is 6:30 p.m.