Troy Buchanan-Wentzville (Holt) Game Review

GAME STORY   This was one of the premier games throughout Missouri to kick off the 2022 football season pitting two GAC rivals. Troy Buchanan is coming off a Class 6 final four appearances and Holt, who finished as the Class 5 state runner-ups in 2021 are both reloaded coming into the season.    Troy is poised to have a big year offensively with 10 starters returning, but it was their defense led by Mizzou commit defensive end, [player_tooltip player_id='37663' first='Jahkai' last='Lang'], Class 6 All-State linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='300023' first='Brett' last='Smith'], and 4-year starting defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='103392' first='Nick' last='Bova'] that established a foothold in the game from the jump holding Holt to six points in the first half. The Trojan's offense was sloppy as they committed a slew of penalties throughout the game, but when they weren't getting in their way they were potent and dynamic. Smith, who is also the starting running back, opened the scoring on a 16-yard run followed by a 70-yard touchdown scamper by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='37718' first='Charos' last='Sutton']. Six minutes later they converted on a 4th down and nine on a pass to Lebron Matthews who slipped through two Holt defenders in one motion that freed him to run in for a 32-yard touchdown reception.   In the second half, Troy continued to build a hefty lead as they scored two more touchdowns in 42 seconds to own a commanding 34-6 lead. The Indians however refused to quit. [player_tooltip player_id='37715' first='Owen' last='Merrell'], who started the semifinal and state championship games last season due to All-stater Cooper Brown breaking his collar bone, looked like a poised, veteran leader. Holt trimmed the Troy lead to 34-20 and had a chance to get within one score with under three minutes remaining in the game, but the Trojan's defense forced a turnover on downs to end any threat.   STARS OF THE GAME   [player_tooltip player_id='37718' first='Charos' last='Sutton'] (Troy Buchanan)   The 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior dual-threat quarterback put on a show. He was 11-of-18 through the air passing for 182 yards with two touchdowns and on the ground, he rushed for 139 yards with one score, which was a 70-yard run. In total, Sutton tallied 321 total yards It's the fifth time in Sutton's career that he's passed and rushed for over 100 yards each, and the fourth time he's had over 300 total yards in a game. Sutton was particularly impressive with his strength in the open field breaking tackles and getting extra yards while being tackled.   [player_tooltip player_id='300023' first='Brett' last='Smith'] (Troy Buchanan)   Smith was a constant presence on both sides of the ball. A 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior middle linebacker, Smith racked up a game-high 15 tackles, which marks the 13th occasion he's tallied over 10 tackles in a game. On offense, Smith finished with 16 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns at running back. Smith was consistent in making correct reads to plug up holes on defense and make open-field tackles. Multiple times Smith appeared to be banged up, but refused to leave the field and would make a play displaying fantastic mental toughness.   [player_tooltip player_id='37715' first='Owen' last='Merrell'] (Holt)   Another dual-threat quarterback, Merrell in only his third career start continued to impress. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior threw for 130 yards on 16-of-26 passes with one touchdown. On the ground, Merrell rushed for 136 yards with 20 carries and found the end zone once as well. Merrell was particularly effective throwing on the run outside of the pocket using his speed to put Troy's defense into a bind where he usually took off and ran for positive yards. Multiple times when plays broke down in the pocket, Merrell evaded pressure and got positive results.   [player_tooltip player_id='104128' first='Kaden' last='Moore'] (Holt)   A 1st-Team All-State linebacker in Class 5 from a year ago, Moore looked the part and was all over the place against Troy. A 6-foot-0, 200-pound senior, Moore registered 14 tackles with three of them being in the backfield, and was a pest all game long from Troy's point of view. He was rarely if ever fooled by the Trojan's read-option handoffs that prove tough for most teams and benefitted by making several tackles through the gaps. As a middle linebacker, Moore did a good job getting to the edges on screen passes to make tackles. He has an offer from Culver Stockton.   [player_tooltip player_id='37663' first='Jahkai' last='Lang'] (Troy Buchanan)   An imposing force in the trenches on both sides, Lang was very productive. A 6-foot-4, 245-pound linemen, primarily a defensive end who is committed to Mizzou finished with 9 tackles including one tackle for a loss. On offense, he was partly responsible for not allowing Sutton to be sacked aside from a bad snap that resulted in a sack. Before choosing to attend to play for Eli Drinkwitz at Mizzou, Lang has been offered by 16 other schools including Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.   PROSPECTS TO KEEP AN EYE ON   Ty Williams (Holt)   A 5-foot-9, slot receiver, and free safety, Williams was arguably the fastest player on the field. Defensively, he was a very important last line of defense on numerous occasions to stop [player_tooltip player_id='37718' first='Charos' last='Sutton'] downfield. He also made smart decisions to track down ball carriers on the edges which led to short gains for Troy. On offense, Williams caught the lone [player_tooltip player_id='37715' first='Owen' last='Merrell'] touchdown pass from five yards out and finished with five receptions. He showed off great cutting ability to advance upfield in tight spots which extended plays.   Kayden Uhlmeyer (Troy Buchanan)   A senior safety at 6-foot-0, 175-pounds, Uhlmeyer was strongly effective and successfully kept everything in front of him. He was able to register a career-high 10 tackles and on special teams nearly returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Uhlmeyer is a three-year starter for Troy and has an offer from Culver Stockton.   [player_tooltip player_id='371333' first='Ethan' last='Lollar'] (Troy Buchanan)   Lollar burst onto the scene as the Trojans' second-most productive wide receiver in 2021 as a sophomore. He finished with two catches with a game-high 62 receiving yards against Holt, including a 56-yard touchdown reception three minutes into the second half. At 5-foot-10, 160-pound, Lollar brings breakaway speed and solid route running to make Troy's that much more threatening in the passing game.   [player_tooltip player_id='429412' first='Michael' last='Burke'] (Holt)   A 5-11, 205-pound senior middle linebacker, Burke made the most of his first-ever varsity start. He tallied 11 tackles and was quick on his feet to get to cut down Troy receivers off of screen passes. Burke was also good at finishing off tackles, particularly in 1-on-1 situations, and also made a couple of open field diving tackles, and made a good read on one screen pass that led to only a short gain for Troy. He will play a key role in Holt's defense and should be very productive.

GAME STORY