Trotwood-Madison 33 Troy 13

I'm going to try to get through this recap without writing anything snarky or bitter about Trotwood's coach and overall program. It'll be a struggle, but I'll do my best.

I thought going into this game that the Trojans had a chance to win, and they did. They would have had to play mistake-free, though, and that just didn't happen tonight. Three interceptions by QB Cody May (who had only three interceptions on the season coming into the game) were the real problem, all of them coming when the Trojans were moving the ball and had chances to put points on the board, but by no means does the blame for the loss lie solely with May. Troy just had a hard time getting anything going. Trotwood's speed and athleticism made it nearly impossible for the Trojans to attack the edges. They did have some success going up the middle, but they weren't going to be able to do that all night long; the offense just doesn't work that way.

The bright side of this game is that it'll be a long time before Troy sees another team like Trotwood, and it won't be during the regular season. The Rams are absolutely loaded. It's hard to imagine a more talented team in Division II, and they'd rarely be overmatched in Division I, either. Obviously, the Trojans are a playoff-caliber Division I team, and they simply couldn't keep up with the players Trotwood had on the field.

And that's really where this loss hurts the Trojans: what it means for their playoff future. They were #1 in the region going into this game, and, barring a total collapse in the remaining two games, there's no way they can miss the playoffs. However, a win tonight against Trotwood would have ensured them a top-4 spot in the region and a first-round home game. Tonight's loss makes that first-round game much less certain. Looking at the numbers, the Trojans still have a shot at hosting a first-rounder, but it's definitely up in the air. It would be great for the Trojans to get a game in the friendly confines of Troy Memorial Stadium and avoid the long road trip to play against a Columbus-area team on their turf.

But all of that is still a couple of weeks away. First the Trojans have to take care of their remaining business in the regular season. They'll look to put Trotwood behind them and get back on track when they return home next Friday to take on the Miamisburg Vikings (2-6).