Hoover heroic for playoff-hopeful Trojans

West High defeated Davenport North 21-14 on Senior Night at Trojan Field on Oct. 11 behind two interceptions from Tyuss Bell ’21 and adept scrambling from Marcus Morgan ’21.

Owen Aanestad

Running back Marchaun Hoover ’20 is embraced by running back coach Bobby Thompson and teammate Tyuss Bell ’21 after scoring the game-winning touchdown against Davenport North on Trojan Field on Oct. 11. Before the drive, coaches were reminding Hoover that this would be his last drive on Trojan Field which he used as motivation to muscle his way into the end zone for the final score.

Joe Goodman, Sports Editor
October 12, 2019

Through the ups and downs of this year’s football season, it was certainly nice to see the seniors leave Trojan Field with a victory.

The Trojans defeated Davenport North 21-14 at Trojan Field on Oct. 11 behind a stout defensive effort and brilliant clock management on the final drive.

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Alyssa Skala
Tyuss Bell '21 makes a cut across midfield against Davenport North at Trojan Field on Oct. 11. Bell had two interceptions on defense but was perhaps even more impressive on offense, where he raced ahead for multiple crucial third downs.

The excitement began early as Fabian Brown ’21, who starts at cornerback, took a sweeping reverse to the house with a crucial block from quarterback Marcus Morgan ’21 to put the Trojans ahead 7-0.

There was also plenty of first-half excitement on the defensive side as well. Will Hoeft ’20 seems to have recovered from his torn ACL in February as he was active all over the field for the West High defense, which held the Wildcats scoreless through three quarters. Grant Henderson ’20 and Anu Dokun ’20 produced their typical bonanza of tackles, occasionally dragging Wildcats behind the line of scrimmage.

Defensive end Mason Applegate ’22 was collapsing inside early, but held the outside for physical tackles in the second and third quarters.  Tyuss Bell ’21 picked off two Wildcat passes in the secondary, both of which were in Trojan territory.

As the second half got rolling, Morgan executed yet another brilliant third quarter drive.

After scrambling for 23 yards on a third and 20, Morgan found Tate Crane ’20 in the back of the end zone between two Wildcat defenders to push the lead to 14-0.

Offensive coordinator Andrew Durham could finally breath easy as his offensive line got the job done against a smaller Davenport North squad. Hoover and Bell were sensational on the ground, Bell carrying most of the workload in the first half and Hoover converting short third downs.

With wide receivers Grahm Goering ’21 and Eric Torres ’21 out with injuries, Crane and McAreavy needed to step up to the plate. Crane found himself open on a number of short out-routes for first downs while McAreavy was converting simple bubble screens into nice yards after catch.

Crane’s touchdown grab set the score at 14-0 midway through the third quarter, but the defense began to crack after on the Wildcats next drive. Davenport North scored twice in eight minutes, aided by a roughing the punter penalty on Hoover, and before anyone knew it the score was tied 14-14 with one final drive to win the game.

Morgan was phenomenal rolling outside of the pocket all night, and it was no different with the game on the line. After drawing a roughing the passer penalty on third down, Morgan connected with McAreavy for a 26-yard completion inside the red zone.

Minutes later Morgan scrambled to the two-yard line, setting up Hoover’s game-winning touchdown run and the Trojans’ Senior Night victory. The student section leaders celebrated with barren chests as the team embraced their classmates in their final home game on Trojan Field.

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The football team travels to Muscatine for its next game on Oct. 18. If Linn-Mar loses its next two games, the Trojans need to win their final two games against Muscatine and City to qualify for the playoffs.