NEW MADISON — Though neither team was playoff bound, the Arcanum Trojans defeated the Tri-Village Patriots37-8 in New Madison as each team battled to end its season on a high note.
With a constant stream of cold rain falling, each team relied primarily upon its ground game for yardage Friday night.
Trojan Daniel Coats got the bulk of Arcanum’s offensive workload, scoring four of the team’s five touchdowns.
The Trojans received the opening kickoff and drove down the field on five straight runs by Coats. Trojan Corey Ross, however, crossed the goal line for the touchdown. Evan Atchley’s point-after kick was good, giving Arcanum a 7-0 lead over the Patriots at the 8:43 mark in the first quarter.
The Patriot squad tried to return the favor, driving from its 36-yard line to the Trojan 15. However, Tri-Village failed to convert on a fourth and 8 and turned over the ball on downs.
Arcanum scored its second touchdown on a 50-yard run by Coats with 10:39 remaining in the first half. A bad snap thwarted the Trojans’ point after attempt.
A followup drive by Tri-Village was stopped by Coats, who intercepted the Patriots at the Arcanum 35-yard line.
At 7:07 in the third quarter, the Patriots closed the gap with the Trojans thanks to a 72-yard run down the sideline by Jared Buckley. Buckley caught the ensuing 2-point conversion to make the score Arcanum 13, Tri-Village 8.
On first and goal at the Patriot 4 at 3:18 in the third, Coats scored his second touchdown, extending Arcanum’s lead to 21-8. At 7:07 in the fourth quarter, Coats struck again on first and goal from the Patriot 3, leading to a 29-8 lead for Arcanum.
Another Coats touchdown run at the Patriot goal line with 1:47 left in the game put the Trojans ahead 37-8.
The Arcanum Trojans finished the 2017 season with a 4-6 record, matching their 2016 win-loss record and going 4-4 in conference play. The Tri-Village varsity squad ended 2017 with an overall record of 3-7, also matching its 2016 record and going 2-6 in its first year competing in the Cross County Conference.
