Cardinals end Cobras’ season for second straight year

The Triton football team was rolling after a 75-6 victory over St. Charles in the opening round of the section 1AA tournament last week. With the Cobras showing how good they could be, they were going to be a tough draw for a Lewiston-Altura team that had ended their season a year ago.
The rematch of that overtime loss took place on Oct. 20, where the Cobras visited the Cardinals with a trip to the section championship on the line. While Triton showed plenty of fight and hung with L-A for the first quarter, the wheels came off as they found themselves in a 35-0 deficit before fighting back in a 42-21 loss.
“Having 20 seniors on your team is a big bonus,” Triton head coach Don Henderson said of the Cardinal’s roster. “I can imagine their practices are pretty competitive and we just didn’t have that with our lack of upper classmen. It makes them pretty tough to beat.”
The Cobras depth was put to the test during this game as injuries took their toll. Starting quarterback Brady Essig went down with a knee injury on the third play of scrimmage. They also found themselves short-handed when Jax Bryngelson and two-way lineman Levi Smith were injured on consecutive plays early in the second half.
With the Cobras battered, the Cardinals took full advantage as they ran for 283 yards and scored 14 points in each of the final three quarters to take the victory. The Cobras were able to claw their way back with a 76-yard touchdown run by Hunter Yankowiak, but it was too little, too late to save Triton’s season.
Despite the loss, it was a good year for the Cobras. They didn’t have the experience that they have had in previous seasons, but it didn’t seem to matter as Triton posted a 7-3 record and a 5-2 record in the Southern Football Alliance White district.
“Being short on numbers with juniors and seniors, it was a pleasure to see our younger guys step up and progress,” Henderson explained. “That bodes well for our future.”
 
LEWISTON-ALTURA      42
TRITON     21
October 20, 2015
Lewiston-Altura High 
School
1       2       3       4
TRI 0       0       0       21
L-A 0       14     14     14
 
STATISTICS
TEAM: Total Offense: Lewiston-Altura 332, Triton 217. Rushing: Lewiston-Altura 283, Triton 173. Passing: Lewiston-Altura 49, Triton 44. INDIVIDUAL: Rushing: Triton --- Yankowiak 1-76-1, Bungum 11-71, M. Henderson 17-43, Jennings 1-14, Essig 1-(-10), Gilliand 4-(-10), Bryngelson 6-(-11). Receiving: Triton ---- Jennings 1-20, Henderson 1-11, Dahms 1-10-1, Rollins 1-3-1. Passing: Triton --- Bryngelson 1-2-20-0-1, Gilliand 3-3-24-2-0.