TROTWOOD — After two straight weeks of gut-check efforts, Trotwood-Madison looked to right itself against Troy.

And just like that, Trotwood faced a rare 7-0 deficit. Uh-oh.

“We just told ourselves that we weren’t going to let them score any more,” said senior two-way standout Michael McCray. “That’s what we had to do.”

With a couple of assists from McCray, the Rams did just that. Trotwood unleashed a 27-point, unanswered second-quarter blitz that did most of the damage in a convincing 33-13 victory in Friday night’s DDN Game of the Week.

The win vaults T-M, top rated in the DDN Division II power rankings, to 8-0. Just as important, it secures a top seed and home game in the first round of the D-II, Region 8 playoff opener in three weeks.

Troy, the DDN’s top-ranked D-I team, falls to 6-2. With only Sidney and Miamisburg left in the regular season for the Trojans, the setback likely cost them a first-round home game in the D-I, Region 3 playoff opener.

McCray, a highly sought-after junior linebacker/tight end, had two interceptions to crush Troy’s hopes. His most damaging was a pick of Troy QB Cody May that he returned 70 yards for the last of the four second-quarter scores with just 0:38 left in the half. Even if Troy had instead scored on that drive, it likely would only have made the result closer.

The Trojans were all but shut down offensively. T-M scored 33 unanswered points until Zach Jones’ TD run with 2:06 left.

“That’s the best they’ve played defensively I’ve seen this year,” Troy coach Steve Nolan said.

“They really came after us pretty good. They were on, too. Sometimes they’re not on in other games, but I’m telling you, they were on.”

T-M quarterback Michael Simpson heaved three scoring strikes — two to Bam Bradley that covered 22 and 13 yards and another to Trai Mobley (23 yards). Isreal Green also romped 30 yards for another TD.

“We really wanted to make a statement,” said Simpson.