French, TCA Rally Past Hornets in Opener

By Michael Finnegan / Contributor

ADDISON — Trinity Christian’s Graham French blocked a short field goal attempt with 8 seconds remaining to preserve a thrilling 29-28 season-opening victory over Greenhill on Friday at Tom Landry Stadium.

The Trojans (1-0) rallied from a seven-point deficit and scored what wound up being the game-winning touchdown with just over 2 minutes left in the game on a short pass from Hunter Flatt to Soren Ouimette. The two hooked up again on the ensuing two-point conversion to give TCA the lead.

The Hornets (0-1) drove the length of the field on its next possession and worked the two-minute offense to perfection, setting up a 17-yard field goal attempt. But French eluded his blocker at the edge and blocked the kick to seal the win for TCA.

“That’s a very athletic team we just beat,” said TCA head coach Steve Hayes. “Greenhill has a good squad, and I feel fortunate to get this win because we made several mistakes.”

Hayes was referring to two touchdowns nullified by penalties, one in each half, and a total of 12 flags in the game.

TCA took its first lead just before halftime when Zane Williams took a pass in the flat at the 5-yard line and raced into the end zone to make the score 14-10.

“That was a fun game,” said Williams, a transfer from Jesuit Dallas. “It’s every running back’s dream to dive in for a touchdown and that’s what I did on that play.”

The game between crosstown rivals went back-and-forth after that.

Greenhill’s Noah Piper drilled a 52-yard field goal to narrow the score to 21-13, then the Hornets sustained a 78-yard drive and cut the lead to 21-19 after quarterback Will Black scored on a sneak up the middle. The two-point conversion tied the score at 21.

“I’m so proud of my team,” said Greenhill head coach K.J. Williams. “I love how resilient we were tonight, and we’ll learn from this.”