Following their 44-0 second-round win over the Decatur Bulldogs on Friday in the Class 5A playoffs, the Blessed Trinity Titans are heading to the quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive season.
The top-ranked Titans (8-0), as the No. 1 seed from Region 7, are seeking a fourth-consecutive state title after winning 4A the previous three seasons. Next week they’ll host the No. 2 Warner Robins Demons, the No. 1 seed from Region 1.
Leading the Titans was sophomore running back Justice Haynes, who ran for 314 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries in just three quarters.
The Titans took the lead for good on Haynes’ 12-yard run with 2:02 left in the first quarter. On the 10-play, 80-yard drive, Haynes carried the ball eight times for 66 yards.
Later, Haynes’ 34-yard run with 11:45 in the half made it 14-0.
With 2:03 left in the half, JC French tossed a 3-yard pass to Ryan Dupot, giving the Titans a 21-0 lead they’d take into halftime. On the eight-play, 96-yard drive, Haynes had six carries for 90 yards, including a 61-yard run.
Haynes would play the opening drive of the second half before calling it a night, running for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play. However, it was reduced to a 43-yard run thanks to a block in the back, a 15-yard penalty that placed the ball on the Decatur 37. He then ran on the next three plays, the final a 28-yard run into the end zone to make it 28-0 with 10:18 left.
The Bulldogs would throw an interception two plays into their next drive, with Mackay Butler taking the pick and returning it 18 yards to the Decatur 13. Two plays later the Titans would score on a 1-yard Englan Williams run.
With 4:30 remaining in the third quarter, the Titans’ Jackson Hamilton blocked a punt and Dupont recovered on the Decatur 1. After a false start penalty, Williams punched it in from six yards out to make it 42-0 with 4:22 left in the third quarter.
On the Bulldogs’ ensuing drive, they started on their own 9 and threw a lateral that bounced out of the end zone for a Titans safety, bringing the score to its final margin with 4:05 left in the third quarter.
The Titans defense held the Bulldogs to just 138 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs were just 2-for-20 in the passing game for 50 yards and an interception.
The Bulldogs (7-2), the No. 2 seed from Region 5, were coming off their first playoff win since 2003 under first-year coach William Felton, and have made the playoffs in consecutive years to end a 14-year postseason drought.
Decatur 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
Blessed Trinity 7 14 23 0 — 44
B — Justice Haynes 12 run (Bryson Hosea kick)
B — Haynes 34 run (Hosea kick)
B — Ryan Dupont 3 pass from JC French (Hosea kick)
B — Haynes 28 run (Hosea kick)
B — Englan Williams 1 run (Hosea kick)
B — Williams 6 run (Hosea kick)
B — Team safety
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