Flanked by his blockers, including Ryder Woolwine (91), Center Grove senior Jalen Thomeson races toward the end zone for a 35-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter Friday night.
(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY STEVE PAGE).

By Steve Page
Correspondent

Eric Moore was asked if he could remember any team scoring 27 unanswered points against his Center Grove football team.

“Never!” the Trojans’ coach exclaimed.

It was a never-before kind of game for Center Grove.

How much so? These Trojan seniors had never lost to another team from Indiana, though they had fallen by close margins to tough teams from Kentucky. But on Friday, they fell 40-29 to Cathedral’s dramatic comeback.

In this annual rivalry game, the Trojans, ranked second in Class 6A, hosted Cathedral, one slot behind in the rankings.

And for three quarters, the Trojans were looking pretty healthy. After giving up 13 points in the first frame, their defense blanked the Irish over the second and third quarters. And the offense made enough plays to score 29 points, overcoming repeated quarterback sacks by Cathedral.

It appeared to be more of the same to start the fourth period. After defensive back Michael Soderdahl intercepted a Cathedral pass at midfield, the Trojans, aided by a pass interference penalty, drove to a first-and-goal at the Cathedral 2. One play gained one yard, but on second down, the Trojans fumbled and the Irish recovered.

They drove the length of the field to score a touchdown, but the Trojans foiled an attempted two-point conversion pass, leaving the lead at 29-19.

Pinned deep in their own territory after the kickoff, the Trojans lined up to punt, but the Irish blocked the kick, with Stu Smith scooping up the ball at the 3 and scoring another touchdown. The conversion kick was good, trimming the once-comfortable lead to 29-26 with almost half the final frame remaining.

CG drove from the Trojan 31 to the Irish 32 before stalling. The Irish, who had used all of their timeouts during the Center Grove drive, took over at their own 32 with 1:34 to play.

Junior quarterback Danny O’Neil had passed well and scrambled well all night. Facing fourth-and-10, he hooked up with Zach Miller for a 30-yard gain to the Trojan 35. On the next play, he found Davie Ayers behind the defense in the end zone. With 50.8 seconds remaining, the Irish led 33-29, stunning the heretofore noisy home crowd into silence.

With time winding down, and the Trojans calling repeated timeouts, O’Neil hooked up with Brennan Wooten for a 60-yard, pass-run play that resulted in another touchdown and the final margin.

It was the fifth TD toss of the night for O’Neil, who finished 25-43-2 for 410 yards. That was more than the Trojans’ total yardage of 378.

“Congrats to them,” Moore said after the Trojans slipped to 7-2 while the Irish improved to 7-1. “Last year (a 21-6 win), we made more plays; tonight, they made more plays.”

The Trojans had numbers of their own. Junior quarterback Tyler Cherry finished 14-20-1 for 202 yards and a 27-yard touchdown pass to Noah Coy. Senior Jalen Thomeson had an outstanding night, gaining 94 yards on 19 carries and scoring three touchdowns – two on runs of two and 23 yards and the third on a cross-the-field, 35-yard punt return with 5:55 left in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 29-13. Senior Micah Cole gained 88 yards on 19 rushes.

The Irish ended the game on a fitting note for them, sacking Cherry for the eighth time as the clock wound down to zero.

“They had a couple of really good blitzes – blitzes we had not seen before,” Moore said. “There were a lot of plays where we had chances to seal it, and we didn’t do it.”

And now?

“Everything we do, we can improve on,” said Moore, whose team has an open week before beginning defense of Class 6A Sectional 8 at Franklin Central (3-6) on Oct. 28.

“The positive thing about this is we haven’t had a bad taste in our mouth for a long time,” Moore said. “Now they know what it feels like.”

​Despite giving up eight inches in height, senior defensive back Gage Rees rips the ball away from 6-foot-7 Cathedral receiver Zach Meeks while Center Grove teammate Kyle Williams pursues the interception.

Center Grove quarterback Tyler Cherry lobs a short pass to senior running back Micah Coyle during Friday’s game.

By Steve Page
Correspondent

Tyrone Tracy knew he could play football very well at the college level.

Enjoying the game he loves, however, did not come easily at Iowa University.

So the 2017 Decatur Central graduate looked past his celebrated scholarship signing with the Hawkeyes.

He turned to the college transfer portal and opted for Purdue.

“It was a good opportunity for me, knowing they pass the ball a lot,” he said before the Boilermakers’ home game against Nebraska on Saturday.
“I’m a versatile player. I can play running back and receiver at a high level.

“They offered me a scholarship, saw the same thing in me that I saw myself.”

It has been a good decision, and a good ride, for the 6-1, 205-pound redshirt senior who wears No. 3.
With Saturday’s 43-37 win over visiting Nebraska, the Boilermakers pulled within one win of bowl eligibility and improved to 5-2 on the year and 3-1 in Big Ten play.

Tracy contributed two catches for 21 yards, bringing his season totals to 23 receptions and 170 yards.

Tracy’s biggest game of the season came a week earlier, when he caught three passes for 47 yards, including a season-best, 32-yard reception in the 31-29 win at Maryland. He did lose the ball to a fumble, but came back to recover the Terrapins’ desperation onside kick near the end of the contest.

“Obviously, I was a little disappointed with the fumble, but I kept my head, made a play when I needed to,” he said. “Before the fumble, I was having a good game. I had a pretty good catch and run for 40 yards, a couple other catches. One negative doesn’t define the game. You take it on the chin, move on to the next game.”

As a Boilermaker.

“When I was at Iowa, I was frustrated,” Tracy said. “But it taught me a lot. It helped me turn into a better man.”
And a happier man.
“They treat me well,” he said. “I feel I’m doing my job. They give me space, allow me to make plays.”
Tyrone is just one of four Tracys, all Decatur Central grads, playing college football.

• Kenny Tracy is a 5-10, 212-pound sophomore at Miami (Ohio) who wears No. 33. This season, he has 21 carries for 105 yards. In 2021, he rushed 55 times for 305 yards (5.5) and scored three touchdowns. He also caught 17 passes for 155 yards and a TD. He still holds the Decatur Central record with 75 career TD’s, including 33 as a senior. He averaged 100 yards per game.

• Javon Tracy is a 6-foot, 183-pound freshman wide receiver, also at Miami (Ohio) who wears No. 11. At Decatur Central, he rushed for 1,054 yards and 13 scores as a senior, finishing the year ranked in the top five for Mr. Football in Indiana.

• A cousin, Larry Tracy III, is a 5-11, 195-pound junior defensive back now at Illinois State after leaving Indiana University.

Before graduating from DC, Tyrone Tracy was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors as a sophomore and senior. He was named to Indiana Football Digest Top 25 and Indiana Football Coaches Association (IFCA) Top 50. He was also first-team All-Marion County, All-Mid-State, and All-State for three straight years. Tyrone helped the Hawks post a four-year record of 35-8. He holds DC records for receiving yards in a season (1,132) and career (2,643), becoming first player at Decatur Central with over 1,000 yards in a season.

All four Tracys played for current DC coach Kyle Enright.

“We were there 8 to 10 years,” Tyrone said. “They had quite a run. Now, they have a bunch of young guys. They’ll get there.”

For the Tracy brothers, sons of Laverna and Tyrone Tracy Sr., it’s all about family.

“Oh yeah, we’re all doing pretty well,” Tyrone said. “Our lives are not perfect, but we’re making the best of every opportunity. We try to walk away with something positive from every game.”

Especially when they are home games and the family comes to watch and cheer.

“We’re a close-knit family,” Tyrone continued. “We talk every day. Football is 75 percent mental. So we check on each other to see how we’re doing each week.”

They all see that Tyrone and his Boilermaker teammates are doing very well.

“I definitely made the right move,” he said. “I thought it was a good opportunity for me, so I jumped at the opportunity. So far, it looks like I made the right decision. Plus, it’s closer to home.”
​

(Photo courtesy Purdue Athletics)         Tyrone Tracy makes a cut with the ball for Purdue.