Lincoln Reed | Echo
The Taylor football team improved its season record to 3-3 after a strong 43-21 win against Concordia on Saturday.
The offense struggled to find the end zone early in the game, but the Trojan defense kept the game scoreless until Concordia rushed for a touchdown with 1:52 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, senior quarterback Jonathan Keith evened the score when he connected with junior receiver Caleb Nicely for a 19-yard touchdown that tied the game 7-7. The Trojan defense stiffened and didn't allow another Concordia lead.
Taylor's offense refused to relent for the remainder of the game and accumulated a season-high 366 passing yards. Junior receiver Shawn Lashbrook led the Trojans with a career game, logging eight receptions for a career-high 198 yards receiving and four touchdowns.
"We gave ourselves a scare in the first quarter," Lashbrook said. "We started really slow but finally opened up the passing game and started airing the ball out, got some big chunks of yard and began rolling a little bit."
The Mid-States Football Association named Lashbrook the Mideast Offensive Player of the Week. He credits his success to Taylor's coaching staff and the skill of his quarterbacks, Keith and junior Michael Miller.
"The coaches made great play calls and put me in a position to succeed," Lashbrook said. "The quarterbacks were getting the ball out on time, putting it on the money, making it easy for me."
Taylor utilized its running game for 103 total rushing yards and one touchdown. Junior Kennedy Hill led the Trojans with 69 yards on the ground, and Miller recorded the Trojans' lone rushing touchdown.
The defense held Concordia to 21 points and kept the Cardinal offense from scoring in the entire fourth quarter. Senior linebacker Dan McKenna led the defense with 11 total tackles while junior safety Adam Sauder also helped shut down the Cardinal offense with 10 tackles of his own. Senior safety Taylor Borst notched a 26-yard interception return, while fumble recoveries by junior Tyler Mills and freshman Jace LaMunyon left Concordia's offense with no answers.
The win over Concordia places Taylor at 1-0 in Mideast League standings. The Trojans will take on 2-0 conference rival Robert Morris on Saturday in a battle for the league lead. Kickoff for the Homecoming game is at 1 p.m. Saturday at New Stadium.Photograph by Josh Adams
