The South Tama County varsity football team put up a spirited fight in their second game of the season. In the end they fell just short, losing to the Charles City Comets 22-14 last Friday.

Momentum was on the Trojan’s side in the first half of the game. After forcing a Comet punt on their first possession, South Tama sophomore running back Michael Henry broke loose and ran 57 yards for a touchdown. A successful point-after attempt by sophomore kicker Eric Medina pushed the score to 7-0 Trojans.

However, in what became a theme for the rest of the game, Charles City answered with a drive highlighted by a punishing rushing attack. Sophomore quarterback Patrick Bruening and junior running back Deacon Caspers led the Comets on a 75-yard drive capped by a 5-yard Caspers touchdown run. A converted two-point conversion gave the Comets the lead, 8-7.

But the Trojans would not back down, and what followed was their best sustained offensive drive of the young season. After a solid kick return by senior Tyrus Clegg, South Tama was led by their running attack of Henry, senior quarterback Cody Blocker, and junior fullback Marcus Bear. Blocker ended the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Trojans a 14-8 lead with eight minutes left until halftime.

Charles City fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by Trojan junior Tanner Large at the Charles City 22 yard-line. But the momentum quickly shifted as the Comets recovered a South Tama fumble. With another steady diet of running by Bruening and Caspers, Charles City moved the ball 86 yards for another touchdown. The halftime score stood at 16-14 in favor of the Comets.

In the second half, the Comets continued to almost exclusively run the ball. The Trojan defense held strong, forcing a Charles City punt or a turnover-on-downs for three of their four second-half drives. However, the Comets lone score came after they blocked a Trojan punt and got the ball at the South Tama 15 yard-line. Five plays later, Caspers scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 22-14. South Tama had three more possessions to try to even the score, but the Comet defense shut out the Trojans and time expired for the Charles City win.

For the game, the Comets only attempted five passes all night. They were led in rushing by Caspers with 39 carries for 147 yards. Bruening added 4 carries for 71 yards. The Trojans were led in rushing by Blocker who had 20 carries for 104 yards and Henry who had 5 carries for 73 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, South Tama was led by a pair of sophomores: Kyle Youngbear with 10 tackles and Medina with 9.

The Trojans (0-2) hit the road to play their third game of the season at Knoxville on Friday, September 13.