Blankenship’s boot delivers buzzer-beater win for Trenton
WILLISTON —Trenton senior Preston Blankenship kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired Friday to give the Tigers a 40-38 win over Williston.
Booming off his right foot and slicing down the middle of the uprights, Blankenship’s kick, which likely would’ve been true from 47 yards, signified one last wild swing of a pendulum exhausted and dizzied from a second-half loaded with head-jerking plays and gripping lead changes.
A relatively slow-paced first half of play, after which the Red Devils held a 14-8 lead, gave way to a second half that opened up like a shaken soda can.
Caleb Morgan’s goal-line rumble three minutes into the third quarter gave Trenton a 15-14 lead. The Tigers then forced a fumble on the Red Devils’ opening play, getting the ball right back when junior Tristin Sloan recovered it on the Williston 40. Two plays later, senior Jacob Guthrie danced his way into the end zone from 11 yards out for a 23-14 Trenton advantage.
The Tigers’ defense wasn’t done making crucial plays.
On the third play of Williston’s ensuing drive, Marland Williams’ pass to Lashaud Nelson glanced off the Red Devils receiver, shot up into the air and was caught by junior Jaron Riley, who returned it 26 yards to the Williston 14. Trenton immediately lined up and gave the ball to Sloan, who hauled it in for a 30-14 lead, and the Tigers’ third score on just nine offensive plays in the quarter.
“Our defense created momentum,” said Trenton coach Bill Wiles. “We capitalized on turnovers.”
But as quickly as Trenton turned the game on its head, Williston, led by the remarkable efforts from substitute quarterback Marland Williams, came stampeding back.
The visitors section was still buzzing when Williams took off on the very first play, splitting through Trenton’s defense and out-dashing all defenders for a 70-yard touchdown run. That long haul made it 30-22, Tigers.
On its next possession, Trenton worked its way down to the Williston three, before Red Devils senior Isaac Williams pounced on a fumble. That turnover gave way to an eight-play drive the spanned the end of the third, to the start of the fourth quarter. A 68-yard Rashaud Nelson run highlighted the drive that culminated with Williams’ five yard score. Jacurtis Pitts’ second and third efforts on the two-point conversion try just broke the plane, drawing Williston even at 30-30 with 10:24 to play.
“We were down, but our guys stepped up and rose,” said Williston coach Ric Whittington. “They were able to generate plays and made it a ball game.”
Just over three minutes later, Trenton hit back when Sloan struck for his second 14-yard touchdown run of the night. The Tigers regained the lead, 37-30.
But the Red Devils still had some gas left in the tank. An eleven-play march over midfield seemed to drain Trenton’s defensive stamina. Williston ran seven straight times, ending with Pitts’ pounding his way in from three yards out to bring the score to 37-36. With the choice to kick for a tie, or run a play for the lead, Williston lined up at the two and Williams kept the ball, dicing through the goal line pile and, while suspended in air, stretching out to land with the nose of the ball over the plane. The Red Devils had come all the way back to take a 38-37 lead.
With just 1:09 on the game clock, Trenton quickly went to work, showing calm under pressure and an invaluable familiarity with late-game execution.
In trouble on their side of the field, the Tigers’ Tyler Perry hit Kyle Pollock for eight yards on fourth down to move the chains and keep the game alive. Sloan then immediately carried for 23 yards up the middle, moving Trenton into Red Devils’ territory. The Tigers again spiked the ball to the turf to stop the clock and preserve time. Perry then threw to Sloan, who made the catch and stretched his way down to the Williston 20. Trenton hurried back to the line of scrimmage to clock the ball yet again. With 2.8 remaining, Wiles waved out Blankenship, and the steady senior lined up the 37 yard distance, converting his second game-winning kick of the season (the first in the opening week in an overtime win against P.K. Yonge).
“I just knew I had to stay focused,” Blankenship said. “When I go out there, I just zone out. I don’t even remember it. I just remember watching the ball go through, that’s it.”
Wiles added, “We let them off a 30-14 hook, gave them life and put ourselves on our heels. At the end, we asked Preston if he could make the kick and he said yes, rather emphatically. I’m just proud of our kids for fighting to the end.”
Trenton (4-4) travels to Branford next Friday night. Williston (2-6) is off until an away contest vs. Chiefland on Nov. 6.