CANTON — Tuscola football coach Jonathan Crompton sent his “dude kickoff team” out to begin the second half against Pisgah with the Mountaineers holding a seven-point lead.
“Me and coach (Trevor) Seibert this afternoon, we said if push came to shove, we need a turnover. We’re going with our dude kickoff,” Crompton said.
Pisgah returner Tahari McClean returned the kickoff 15 yards before meeting a host of tacklers. Elijah Pruitt wrapped up McClean and ripped the ball free. Ty Walker spotted the loose ball and recovered it to secure the takeaway.
“We sent our 10 skill player dudes down there and said go make a play,” Crompton said.
Tuscola capitalized
on the strong field position, scoring seven plays later on a 20-yard rushing touchdown by Sam Trantham.
The third-quarter turnover and ensuing touchdown were all the Mountaineers needed to secure a 21-0 victory over Pisgah (4-4, 2-3 Mountain Eight) in the County Clash on Oct. 9. It was Tuscola’s first win over its rival since 2023.
“Losing my sophomore and junior year was a little bit hard, but now I finally got that win,” Walker said. “It definitely does feel really good.”
Tuscola (7-1, 4-1) carried momentum into halftime after putting together a 16-play, 92-yard touchdown drive.
“What we’ve been practicing all year,” Walker said. “Just getting three yards, four yards. Just be happy with it.”
Trantham took the snap in the Wildcat formation and powered into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal with seven seconds remaining in the first half, giving Tuscola a 7-0 lead.
Crompton said there was no hesitation about going for it on fourth down. He delivered the play call during the timeout but didn’t feel the need to say anything more.
“They know they’re a hard-nosed physical bunch, and I just love being their coach,” Crompton said.
The touchdown was the first of two for Trantham, who extended his streak of 100-yard rushing games to seven with 188 yards on 32 carries.
He now has 1,672 rushing yards on the season, ranking fourth nationally, and 24 touchdowns.
Crompton and Walker both pointed to Trantham’s football IQ as one of his biggest strengths.
“He sees so many things out on the field, running the ball,” Walker said. “He’ll see a hole that he can hit, and he knows that he can only hit it at a certain speed and slithers through. The way he can read defense is so crazy.”
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: How two pivotal plays helped Tuscola football beat Pisgah in County Clash
