BY NICK MINERVA
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Trinity Christian School (2-3) defeated the Alabama School for the Deaf (1-3) 65-12 at Moore Field on Sept. 24 behind spectacular performances by William Dooley and Reid House.
Dooley completed 12 of 16 passes for at least 185 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran for a TD.
The Silent Warriors could not contain House on offense or special teams. He caught TD passes of 14, 17 and 44 yards and returned a kickoff 95 yards for a TD.
School for the Deaf’s Isaiah Wallace completed 3 of 11 passes with one interception and ran for a 67-yard TD. DeMarion Hagler of the Silent Warriors ended the Golden Eagles’ run of 50 unanswered points with an 81-yard TD run.
Trinity’s suffocating defense recorded three takeaways and repeatedly forced School for the Deaf to punt. Even Wallace’s first completion, which went for about 70 yards, ended in a turnover when the relentless Golden Eagles forced the receiver to fumble after he crossed into Trinity territory.
Golden Eagles head coach Mike Adams showered defensive coordinator Billie Watts with praise following his unit’s performance.
“He’s really worked hard, and we didn’t have film on them this week,” Adams said of Watts.
“He’s told them he’d shave his beard if we could have a shutout, you know, and they really have been trying for that,” Adams added.
Trinity won the coin toss and elected to receive. Dooley opened the first drive under center and completed his first three passes, all to the flat near the sideline. After an incompletion, he dropped back from the shotgun and threw a 14-yard TD pass to House. Dooley then ran in the two-point conversion on a quarterback keeper for an 8-0 lead.
Wallace did not complete a pass on the Silent Warriors’ opening drive, but he put on a clinic with his legs, running for a 67-yard TD and finishing the possession with 69 rushing yards.
After School for the Deaf answered in three plays, Adams said he relayed a simple message to his team.
“Just be calm,” Adams said. “It’s a long game.”
The Silent Warriors’ two-point attempt failed, leaving the Golden Eagles ahead 8-6, and House returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a TD. Trinity’s two-point try also failed, keeping the score at 14-6.
House’s return started a run of 50 unanswered points for the Golden Eagles that lasted until Hagler’s 81-yard TD run made it 58-12 in the fourth quarter.
On Trinity’s third drive, Dooley and the Golden Eagles were knocking at the door, looking to extend their lead. In the red zone, Dooley found Aiden Hahn for a 12-yard TD.
Dooley then showed confidence in his legs, rushing for 38 yards on Trinity’s fourth drive to set up another TD for the duo of Dooley and House.
The Golden Eagles’ defense held School for the Deaf scoreless on nine consecutive possessions, forcing turnovers and repeatedly stalling the Silent Warriors’ offense.
Adams said the margin was larger than he anticipated.
“We got up on them pretty good, and a little bit honestly more than I expected,” Adams said.
Hahn scored the game’s final TD on a 15-yard run, and the extra point gave Trinity a 53-point lead.
School for the Deaf has allowed at least 40 points in each of its three losses and gave up 38 in its lone win, against Victory Christian High School.
The Golden Eagles play their next three games on the road and do not return home until the third week of October. Trinity will next face Jacksonville Christian Academy on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. at Tommy Miller Field.
