Chiefs take down Troy with running attack

TROY - The Ramblin' Wreck from Ronan rolled up to Troy last Friday and, much like their counterparts at Georgia Tech, proceeded to steamroll the Trojans to a 40-8 victory.

Behind an offensive line that's more secure than Fort Knox, the Chiefs racked up 359 rushing yards and handed the ball of to 13 different carriers.

"Our offensive line played absolutely fantastic and opened up some big holes," head coach Jim Benn said. "Some of our younger kids had success running behind our other younger kids."

Ronan came into the season with the mindset of having a fast-paced offense that kept the defense off-balance and on their heels. They did that against Troy by jumping out to a 26-0 lead behind two 25-yard touchdown runs by senior Marcus Hungerford.

"He didn't get touched," Benn said. "Chris Clary and Jake Skelton were in front of him blocking and they didn't get touched either."

Hungerford, whose speed on the football field is considered a violation on Highway 93, took advantage of that for two scores. Senior fullback Clary would add to the lead with a five-yard touchdown run of his own, and senior running back Jack Humphreys scored on a five-yard run to round out the first stanza. In the second quarter, quarterback Robbie Gauthier threw a touchdown pass to Robert Faoa and Humphreys intercepted a ball and ran it back 90 yards for a pick six to round out Ronan's scoring in the game.

"We were able to get a lot of our younger kids in the game and get them some playing time," Benn said.

Skelton, who sat out the Bigfork game two weeks ago because of the 90-day transfer rule, made up for lost time by notching 131 yards on 12 carries.

"He's a home-run hitter," Benn said of Skelton. "We've had power backs before, we've had real quick guys but Jake is a combination of both. He's doing a nice job."

Meanwhile on defense, Troy was held to 151 yards on offense and scored only once in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand. The win moved the Chiefs to 2-0 on the season with a very important game against Townsend.

Also 2-0, Townsend has allowed just six points altogether while scoring a 53 points.

"For a non-conference game, it's a big deal," Benn said. "The way they changed the playoff system this year with two wild cards, the non-conference games matter for the playoffs."

Townsend is a no-nonsense football team that likes to run the football, and this game will probably be decided in the trenches.

"They make me look like a guy that likes to air it out,"

Benn said. "They've got a great offensive line and two good running backs. Defensively they'll bring a lot of pressure and they'll try to bottle us up inside."

But if the Troy game was any indication, if Townsend wants to get on a ground battle, the Ramblin' Wreck from Ronan certainly has the foot soldiers.