This year’s Battle of I-74 was a dandy as the East Central Trojans welcomed the Harrison Wildcats. After losing to their interstate rivals a year ago, the Trojans eked out a victory with a late-score.
After East Central (2-0) got a big stop by their defense on 4th down, the Trojans offense found the end zone on a 1-yard run by quarterback Nolan Maple with 10:29 left to go and that would be enough to seal the deal.
The opening half was evenly played with both teams knotted at 14 at the intermission. Harrison capitalized on a key turnover on East Central’s opening drive with a quick score less than 30 seconds into half. However, they failed on the conversion and that would prove costly.
Junior running back Ryan Minges paced the offense with 122 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Classmate Colton Bellman contributed 93 yards and a score of his own on a team-high 24 attempts. Maple finished the night with 137 yards on 11-of-21 passing and three carries for 13 yards and a score in the win.
Harrison (1-1) will look to rebound next week as they welcome Western Hills while East Central travels to Lawrence North.
Check out these awesome photos from Sandy Mahoney…
