Special-teams surprise helps Trinity Episcopal upend Hermitage 20-12

As the scoreboard clock at Hermitage’s Chester E. Fritz Stadium ticked to zero Friday night, Trinity Episcopal quarterback Deke Skogen, waiting patiently but excitedly 3 yards behind center, received the snap and immediately took a knee.

For the visiting Titans, executing the victory formation never felt so good, for it brought to conclusion their well-earned 20-12 victory over Hermitage and ignited an uproarious celebration on the field and among the assemblage of Trinity faithful that had spent 48 minutes cheering them on from the bleachers.

“When we came in here, we weren’t thinking public school-private school,” Skogen said. “We were thinking, ‘This is the next team, and we’re going to win.’ ”

Coach Sam Mickens’ guys improved to 2-1 thanks to a staunch, bend-but-not-break defensive effort, a mixture of grind-it-out ball control and quick strikes at opportune moments and an adroit special teams play that proved to be the turning point in this hard-fought game.

“I told the guys at halftime that this why you come to Trinity,” Mickens said. “You’re here for these big games. These are the moments we love.”

Hermitage (2-1) and Trinity engaged in a ruggedly contested, back-and-forth first half and went into the break tied 6-6.

The Panthers’ TD came on a 27-yard pass from quarterback Myles Brooks to Henry Patterson at 2:47 of the second quarter and concluded a nine-play, 83-yard drive that began after a clutch defensive stop in the red zone.

The Titans responded in kind when Skogen engineered an eight-play, 71-yard drive, the final play of which was his 22-yard TD pass to K.J. Harris on the final play of the half.

Skogen & Co. emerged from halftime with a more deliberate scheme that enabled them to mount time-consuming drives that kept the explosive Hermitage offense off the field.

Their first drive consumed 10:55 of the third quarter, and, while it didn’t result in points, it set the tone that they were able to sustain.

“Coming out in the second half, we knew we could take just what we had,” Skogen said. “There’s no need for any deep shots. If we had the little 5-yard out, we took that, and it turned out we marched all the way down the field.

“We couldn’t have done that without the O-line. Great props to them. They gave up no sacks. I barely had any pressure the entire game and had as much time as I needed back there in the pocket.”

After stopping Trinity on their 3-yard-line, the Panthers launched a six-play, 97-yard drive that ended with Brooks’s 30-yard broken-field touchdown run at 10:30 of the fourth quarter after the Trinity defense flushed him from the pocket.

With the Titans trailing 12-6, Skogen continued the pick-away-at-the-defense-and-wait-for-a-break scheme that he’d executed so deftly and calmly on the initial drive of the half.

With running back C.J. Gray pounding the ball inside and Skogen connecting with four different receivers (Josiah Walker, Trey Cherry, Landon Hicks, and Aidan Holland), the Titans responded to their deficit with a seven-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a 30-yard pass from Skogen to Holland, who had slipped into the open behind the Hermitage secondary.

Evan Goldschmidt delivered the point-after that gave the visitors a 13-12 lead 6:40 from the end.

Goldschmidt wasn’t finished, though.

He pooched the ensuing kickoff just into Hermitage territory, a scrum ensued, and, when the referees unraveled the mass of bodies, Harris had the ball, and the Titans’ offense returned to the field.

“That was a game changer,” said Cherry of the onside-kick recovery. “It definitely gave us our momentum that gave us the big win.”

This time, Skogen took his guys 46 yards in three plays, the last of which was another 30-yard touchdown pass, this time to Hicks, who made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch despite tight coverage.

Goldschmidt’s PAT provided Trinity its final points.

“A big part of those plays was really our slot receivers running on bubble,” said Skogen, a 6-2, 180-pound junior. “K.J. and Josiah had to fake the bubble really well to get the DBs to crash down on it.

“Our receivers, Aidan Holland and Landon Hicks … they were the ones who made the great grabs for the touchdowns.”

Try as they might, the Panthers couldn’t respond.  Twice, they mounted drives. Twice, the Titans’ defense held fast.

“Hermitage has a really good quarterback,” said Cherry, a 6-0, 195-pound senior linebacker. “We knew we had to contain him. They also have a good running back (Jahson Allums). We had to keep him in the box and not let him bust plays.

“We condition a lot in practice. We’re built for this.”

Trinity amassed 354 yards on 46 plays. 

Skogen completed 16 of 23 passes for 198 yards. Gray carried 20 times for 154 yards. 

Hermitage compiled 312 yards on 42 plays.

Brooks completed 10 of 17 passes for 145 yards and carried seven times for 54 yards. Allums rushed for 63 yards on eight carries.

“This feels great,” said Harris, a 5-10, 180-pound senior, of the Titans’ victory. “But we’re not done yet.”