By Michael Bielecki
VERO BEACH – Trinity Christian running back Mike Washington ran for 122 yards and 2 TDs as his team dominated the final 16 minutes of the game, scoring 27 unanswered points, in a 34-10 triumph over St. Ed’s.
Washington drew first blood, as his 1-yard scoring plunge put ahead Trinity 7-0 with 27 seconds left in the first half. Not to be outdone, the Pirates came back and scored at the end of the half when Dillon Benson nailed a 32-yard field with no time on the clock.
St. Edward’s went up 10-3 after Collier Proctor found wide receiver Chris Barbato on an 18-yard TD pass with 5:13 left in the third quarter. Trinity followed with a score of its own the very next drive, as Andrew Rogers sprinted into the end zone from 63 yards out. A failed extra point kept the score 10-9.
Two more TDs from Rogers and another from Washington completed the scoring for Trinity, and the game making the final score, 34-10.
Pirates Coach Brad Fojtik said that the loss for his team was a result of them running into a hungrier team.
“I told the kids after the game that I thought they wanted it more than we did,'” said Fojtik. “This was a game we failed reach out and take for ourselves. I thought they outworked us. They controlled the line of scrimmage, and when any team does that, they almost always win the game.”
St. Edward’s (4-5) is idle next week, and will have that time to heal some wounds and get ready for their final opponent of the year, Central Florida Christian. The Eagles are 4-3, and has shared only one common opponent with the Pirates all year. They beat Merritt Island Christian 22-6 to open the season. St. Edward’s beat them two weeks later, 53-14.