Titans have saved best football for end of season

The Triway football team entered its week 10 rivalry home game against Orrville on Oct. 20 with lots of optimism playing under first-year head coach Cody Kelly.

The Titans (4-5, 3-3 Principals Athletic Conference) edged Manchester 24-21 in week eight and then upset Canal Fulton Northwest on the road, 31-26, in week nine.

“It’s exciting,” Kelly said prior to the matchup against Orrville, which also has a 4-5 (3-3 PAC) record. “We’re feeling positive right now, and confidence is high.

“We’re trying to manage that and let them know we still have a lot of room to grow. We’re not to the peak yet of what this team can be or what this program can be, but obviously, we’ve built positive momentum that’s contagious. You can feel it with our guys, within the coaching staff and in the school. Hopefully, we can continue to ride it, get another win this week against a tough rival and continue playing well into the playoffs.”

Beating Northwest was the Titans’ most impressive win of the season, and it took key contributions on offense, defense and special teams. Triway had a good shot of getting into the playoffs win or lose against Orrville, but a victory would move them up several notches in the seeding and avoid facing a No. 1 or 2 seed right away.

Triway outscored Northwest 21-13 in an action-packed fourth quarter, getting three touchdowns passes from Brayden Holt in the final period.

The sophomore connected with Brody Snyder (66 yards), Cale Drown (16) and Alex Shearer (26), with the latter providing what eventually proved to be the game-winning points to go up 31-20 with 2:39 left.

Holt finished the night 27 for 42 passing for 302 yards, with four TDs and one interception.

“Offensively, we just had guys making plays,” Kelly said. “Brayden Holt got the ball out to our receivers, and the yards after catches and after contact were huge. We just need to continue to get those guys the ball so they can keep making plays for us.”

Shearer (9-118 receiving, TD), Snyder (7-103, TD) and Drown (7-60, 2 TDs) all had big nights while kicker Drew Bishko was 4 for 4 on PATs and 1 for 2 on field goal attempts, converting a 43-yarder.

Luke Belcher continued to lead the defense at linebacker, and Shearer snared two interceptions to give him a team-high four thefts.

“Our defense all starts with senior captain Luke Belcher at middle linebacker,” Kelly said. “He got banged up midway through the season and has been battling through it but has never missed a snap. He has a huge game every week for us. He’s just a dominant force in the middle of our defense, and he came up with two huge sacks late in the game against Northwest.”

Shearer has been a big two-way contributor, really stepping up as a first-year linebacker. Defensive linemen Ron Bricker played really well against Northwest, Kelly said.

“We have guys who are continuing to get better on both sides of the ball,” Kelly said. “There’s a different guy every week that seems to have a big game, and I think it’s just a tribute to their motivation and just wanting to get better every week.”

Holt has excelled at quarterback in the second half of the season and leads the team in passing after previously splitting time with senior Luke Snowbarger. Holt is 87 for 143 for 900 yards, 12 TDs and five interceptions. The leading receivers are Snyder (44-411, 6 TDs), Drown (39-432, 6) and Shearer (37-491, 4). Belcher averages 12 tackles a game to lead the defense.

“Brayden has started the last two weeks for us, and he’s a gamer,” Kelly said. “Mentally, he’s always in it.

“He knows what to do with the ball. He knows where to go with the ball. He’s got enough mobility to extend plays outside the pocket when things do break down. He’s just really good at getting the ball out on time and putting it into our receivers’ hands and letting them make a play.”

Kelly had a strong resume as an assistant coach at Avon and his alma mater Triway, but nothing can prepare someone totally for what it’s like to be a new head coach.

The former standout linemen said the biggest adjustment has been figuring out how to budget his time. Basically, a coach can’t say yes to everything.

The biggest adjustment for a first-year head coach is knowing he has the final say on what happens on Friday nights. Whether it’s a good result or bad, the head coach will hear about it and take it to heart a lot more than assistants.

“No doubt there’s definitely added pressure there,” said Kelly, who’s an intervention specialist at Triway High School, teaching language arts and math. “There’s definitely some sleepless nights just thinking about what more you could do to help your team. What can I do here? What can we do there? I’m always racking my brain, just figuring out how we can get better on the field and off the field.”