Trojans’ quarterback Brayden Siler dropped back, scrambled under pressure, found just enough time to plant his feet and fired a pass toward the sideline that was intercepted by Anderson senior Conner Brondhaver.
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The takeaway sealed the Redskins’ 38-35 win in a Division II, Region 8 semifinal.
“I think Braden was trying to throw the ball out of bounds and it slipped out of his hand a little bit and you know, that happens,” Burgbacher said.
Siler was a big reason the Trojans were in position to knock off Anderson. The junior signal caller was 7-of-8 for 140 yards in the first half, and aided in setting up multiple scores.
His ability to go downfield may have also provided some more room for running back Jaydon Culp-Bishop, who finished with 176 yards on 34 carries and four rushing touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.
For as potent as Culp-Bishops was, his second-half numbers explain how Troy’s offense went from scoring 28 first-half points to just seven in the final two quarters.
Culp-Bishop had 102 yards at halftime, but Anderson slowed him down in the third and for most of the fourth stanza until he broke free on a 50-yard touchdown sprint with just 4:33 remaining to give Troy its only points of the half and a 35-31 lead.
Take that run out, and Culp-Bishop totaled just 26 yards for the second half.
“Their rhino package, with the extra defender, the defensive lineman [on the line of scrimmage] kind of stuffed our run game in the second half,” Burgbacher said.
The Trojans hummed to start the game, moving 67 yards on six plays during their first possession, culminating in Culp-Bishop’s fist touchdown of the night.
Troy’s defense came up big, shutting down Anderson’s first drive of the game. Faced with fourth and goal at the 1, Anderson was flagged for a false start and moved back five yards. The Trojan defense held on the next play, forcing a turnover on downs.
Two possessions later, Troy was up 14-0 following Culp-Bishop’s second rushing score of the night, this time from 8 yards out.
Anderson got on the board on the ensuing possession, covering 81 yards on eight plays. Quarterback David Thompson cashed in with a 1-yard quarterback keeper.
Troy yanked the momentum back with Culp-Bishop’s kickoff return, but undeterred, Anderson cut the lead to 21-14 following an 11-play, 61-yard drive that also finished with a Thompson keeper.
The Trojans and Culp-Bishop answered with another time consuming drive that resulted in a 9-yard scoring run for the senior.
Anderson got the ball back with 41 seconds remaining, but rather than sit on the clock, Thompson completed 4-of-5 passes to set up a 34-yard field goal by kicker Willie Johnson. The conversion cut Troy’s lead to 28-17 at halftime.
Anderson head coach Evan Dreyer called this contest, “The Trilogy,” as this meeting marked the third straight year the two teams have met in posteason play. Troy won the first year, with Anderson coming up triumphant the last two.
“What a game,” he said. “This is high school football at its best and we’re moving on back to the regional finals.”
The Redskins will face Winton Woods at a neutral site in the Region 8 final.
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