The Trinity vs. St. Xavier rivalry is one of the biggest in the country. On Friday night, 34,326 fans flocked to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in Louisville (Ky) to watch the Shamrocks and Tigers battle it out on the gridiron. I was on hand to catch all the action.
It was all Trinity in the first half. The Shamrocks got on the board early, when sophomore defensive back Ryan White hit St. Xavier running back La'Mont McMurry forcing him to fumble. Trinity's Brandon Weyhing picked up the fumble and ran it in for the 14 yard score.
The Shamrocks scored again early in the second quarter, when quarterback Travis Wright connected with wide receiver James Quick on a 14 yard pass. The extra point was no good but Trinity still led 13-0.
Moments later White picked off a Lucas Brohm pass. The turnover led to a Derek Bishop touchdown.
Later in the quarter, Wright connected with Ryan Sheffy for a touchdown, giving the Shamrocks a 27-0 halftime lead.
Trinity continued their dominance in the second half. Bishop, a 5-foot-6, 165 pounder scored, two touchdowns, one for 14 yards and another for 66 yards, as the Shamrocks went on to defeat the Tigers in, impressive fashion, 48-0.
Trinity coach Bob Beatty was all smiles after the game.
"This group was hungry," Beatty said. "I have said all along that this is a young group but they are hungry. The season is half over and I think they've grown up a little bit. We lost our poise a little bit last week against Bowling Green but we fought through that. The school supported us all week and the kids came out today and played well."
Wright, a sophomore, completed 16-20 passes, for 217 yards and two touchdowns. Nine of those passes were to Quick, a fellow sophomore. Quick finished with 150 receiving yards an a touchdown.
Bishop carried the ball 17 times, for 127 yards and three touchdowns.
The Shamrock defense dominated all night, holding St. Xavier to just 159 yards of total offense.