By Ray Curren
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — The Stevens football team will not be competing in the NHIAA Division III playoffs this season.
It is probably safe to say that the four schools that will be participating are extremely glad the Cardinals won’t be joining them.
Unbeaten Trinity prevailed 29-14 Friday night over Stevens on Senior Night at a chilly Barnes Park, but it was a mighty struggle, as the Cardinals (5-4) showed they were physically stronger most of the night, and had they gotten a break or two on plays that almost went their way, Stevens might have been able to extend its five-game winning streak and grab the fourth seed in next week’s playoffs.
“I thought we were the more physical team all night,” Stevens coach Josh Duford said. “If a few of the 50-50 plays go our way, I think we win this game, but that’s not the way it worked out. I’m extremely proud of how our team fought tonight.”
Junior Tyler Christian was a problem throughout for Trinity (9-0), finishing with 192 yards rushing on 23 carries. However, one of the few times he was stopped came at the end of the opening drive on 4th-and-1 from the Trinity 4-yard line. Five plays later, Pioneer freshman Anthony DiGiantommaso was racing down the right sideline for an 85-yard score and an 8-0 Trinity lead with 5:17 left in the first quarter.
After a Stevens fumble, Trinity was back in the end zone three minutes later when Paul Thibault made it 15-0 with a 1-yard plunge. Jai-Lique Ribeiro took the ensuing kickoff 60 yards, but it ended in a controversial fumble that gave Trinity yet another possession. However, the Pioneers would not score in the remainder of the half.
Trinity appeared to put the game out of reach with a long scoring drive to start the second half, quarterback Jack Service finishing it off to put the Pioneers up 22-0 with 5:17 left in the third quarter. But Stevens finally broke through with 1:13 to go in the third when Christian ran over two would-be tacklers and carried them into the end zone from 10 yards out to make it 22-7.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Kaden Thyne intercepted Service and Christian carried six straight times, all right up the middle, eventually scoring from 4 yards out and cutting the Trinity lead to 22-14 with 6:31 left.
Still Stevens needed a break and it got one when Ribeiro forced a fumble two plays later. Alas, the Cardinals gave it back just a minute later when DiGiantommaso intercepted Christian.
Stevens had one more chance when it forced 4th-and-1 at the Cardinal 41-yard line with 3:35 left, but Alex Oyaronbi broke a tackle and went the distance for the final score of the game.
“We knew Stevens was a good team, we weren’t surprised by that,” Trinity coach Rob Cathcart said. “They upset us in the playoffs a few years ago (2018). We knew they were rolling coming in and that their season was on the line, so we would see their best. Honestly, they are bigger and stronger than us and, unfortunately, it showed, but we were able to make some big plays and just outlast them in the end.”
It marks the end of the career for 10 Stevens seniors, including Lucas Smith. Smith honored his brother Eli — who died of cancer at the age of 16 in 2018 — by wearing his No. 87 jersey for the first play of the game before switching back to No. 57 and recording two sacks.
Trinity did outgain Stevens 344-254 in the end, but 241 of those yards came on three scoring drives. The Pioneers will be the top seed in next week’s playoffs and host Inter-Lakes, who clinched the fourth and final postseason spot in Division III with the Cardinals’ defeat. In the end, it was the close 22-20 loss to the Lakers way back on Sept. 3 that was the difference in the teams’ schedules.
Still, the Cardinals recovered from an 0-3 start to win five straight and give the Division III favorite all it could handle in their finale.
“They learned how to face adversity and deal with things that are beyond their control and do it with class,” Duford said. “I’m proud of the way they fought until the end. They have nothing to hang their heads about this season.”
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