Under the captaincy of head coach Matt Hutchings, the Midlothian Trojans searched for a chance to completely demoralize the Prince George Royals as their on a journey for a championship birth. Because it’s their first game since their semi finals loss to the Hermitage Panthers, their going into this season fighting for more with an experienced roster. Furthermore, players such as Ashby Berry, Makhi Jackson, Drew Kleski, Chase Chambers, and many more are scavenging for spectacular performances against Prince George’s unit.

Kicking off the game, Prince George’s kicker sends the ball inside of Midlo’s territory where they would start their first possession offensively. The Trojans finished a run centric possession with a 27 yard rushing touchdown from senior Ashby Berry to make the score 7-0 early in the first quarter. Subsequent to a forced punt from Midlo’s defense,  the Trojan running back Ashby Berry began the offensive possession with a 19 yard rush;therefore, Midlo’s offense was set up excellently towards the redzone. Following that play, Berry would find an open gap in the defense and burst up the scene for a 22 yard rushing touchdown; making the score 14-0 late in the first quarter. At this juncture, Trojans kicker Avery Heliniak launched the ball in Royals territory with Prince George beginning their drive at the Trojans 47 yard line; searching for their first touchdown of the game. Even though the Royals started in Midlo’s territory,  the Trojans defense imposed their dominance on the Royals once again as they forced a turnover on downs with two plays that resulted in negative yardage. Over and above, the Trojans made their way towards the second quarter with a 14-0 lead primarily because of their phenomenal defensive possessions while running the football effectively against Prince George’s defense.

As the second quarter commenced, Midlo launched the ball to the Royals 25 yard line where they would start their first defensive possession of the quarter.  Prince George started their first possession offensively with three rushing attempts for sixteen yards as they marched towards Trojan territory. However, Midlo’s defense stomped the door on Prince George’s offense with two tackles for loss; forcing the Royals to punt the ball away with seven minutes left to go in the first half. On the ensuing drive, Midlo’s offense got perfect field position after a miscue from Prince George’s special team unit. Because of that, senior running back Zach Wirt successfully scored a ten yard rushing touchdown to extend the Trojans lead to 21-0 in the middle of the second quarter. After one play that was neutralized from Prince George’s offense, running back Kamari Harrison fumbled in Prince George territory with it being recovered by Midlo’s defensive end Cam Penn. In addition to that, the Trojans rapidly capitalized on a forced turnover with an eight yard rushing touchdown from running back Ashby Berry; making the score 28-0 after the extra point from Avery Heleniak. The Trojans defense were able to sustain their level of consistency defensively for the rest of the quarter as they didn’t allow a single pass completion while never giving Prince George the chance to operate in Midlo’s territory. Moreover, the score would be 31-0 going into the halftime with Prince George searching for a spark that will at least give them points to put on the scoreboard.

Following the intermission break, Midlo’s kicker Avery Heleniak  sent the ball towards the endzone for a touchback as Prince George searched for their first points of the game. During the start of the third quarter, Midlo’s defense managed to force another three and out; currently capturing the magic they had from the first half. Subsequent to that fantastic possession, the Trojan halfback Ashby Berry scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the game for fifteen yards as Midlo extended the lead to 37 points after the extra point. With the remaining eight minutes left in the third quarter, the pair of teams failed to capitalize on their offensive opportunities as neither group scored for the rest of the quarter. As the fourth quarter approached,  Prince George had their minds on erasing the goose egg they had on the scoreboard, while Midlo looked to complete the shutout in their first game of the regular season.

With the fourth quarter officially begginning, Midlo’s defensive back Makhi Jackson intercepted the throw from Prince George’s quarterback Michael Swink; immediately forcing a turnover in the middle of the field. On the ensuing possession, the Trojan offense operated on all cylinders; primarily running the football and completing a pass that got them closer to the redzone. Because of this, it set up a passing touchdown from junior quarterback Chase Chambers that connected to sophomore wide receiver Drew Kleski for 20 yards; making the score 44-0 after Maxx Lawton’s extra point. Prince George would attempt to counter that on their next possession;however, it eventuated to another fumble on their own side of the field with less than four minutes in the game. Following Midlo’s third forced turnover of the contest, sophomore tailback Bryce Sowers had three rush attempts for 31 yards prior to the Trojans kneeling down to conclude the game with a 44-0 victory against the Prince George Royals.

Coming into their first game of the season, the Trojans showcased a skill that all championship level teams have: the ability to completely dominant the game in all three phases. The home victory makes their record 1-0 on the season and places this team in an amazing position early in the year. Midlo is now scavenging for a 2-0 record to begin the year as prepare for their away game against the Clover Hill Cavaliers on Friday, September 9th, 2022 with plenty of momentum heading into the contest.