Scribner-Snyder picks up first win

The Scribner-Snyder Trojans notched their first win of the season Friday night, winning 44-34 at Winside.

The Trojans led the Wildcats 24-22 at the end of one.

Scribner-Snyder outscored Winside 14-6 in the second quarter to go up 38-28 at halftime.

Both teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter after not scoring in the third quarter.

Brandon Noel carried the ball 24 times for 187 yards and four touchdowns. Gunner Palmer added 127 yards on 18 carries, including a score.

Noel totaled 14 tackles while Alex Nuno made 10. Marcus Love notched 8 while Josh McMillen and Riley Meyer registered 7 apiece.

The Trojans racked up 394 yards of total offense, all on the ground, and surrendered 220 yards, including 166 through the air.

Head Coach Anthony Ruzicka says it was big to pick up that first win of the season. "It was a huge boost to our confidence. Getting that first one out of the way will hopefully go along ways towards allowing us to play with a little swagger and improve our level of play."

Ruzicka adds his team keeps getting better. "This group has been a lot of fun. We have started off rough, but have made significant strides each week. They have always had a great attitude going into each week, and have been positive in their preparation. They have never gotten down on themselves or each other. Two weeks ago against Emerson-Hubbard, we played a very physical football game.  The guys played their butts off and had tremendous effort. However, 15 penalties and 5 fumbles will usually lose any game, regardless of how hard you play. We really talked about playing smarter and still keeping the intensity up. This week, we finally saw what we have worked at come together.  We played a very physical style of game, and minimized the mental breakdowns. Don't get me wrong, we still had a few, but they were far less than the previous 3 weeks. Our communication on the offensive line has been much better, and that alone has helped improve how well we have moved the ball offensively. Beating Winside proves to these guys what we have been saying all along, and that is that we are a pretty good team when we can get out of our own way."

Scribner-Snyder (1-3) hosts Fullerton (4-0) Friday night.

The Warriors beat Wausa 60-16 last time out.

Ruzicka says Fullerton is the real deal. "Fullerton is a very good team, and has been a powerhouse in recent years. They have excellent skills people, and are solid in the trenches. It would be huge for use to beat a team of this caliber."

The Warriors downed Winside 52-20 earlier this season. Ruzicka says it's going to take a really good game from his team to win. "We are going to have to bring our A game. We will need the ball to bounce our way and catch a few breaks. Fullerton isn't going to overlook us or roll over for us, so we are going to have to earn everything we can. Offensively, we need to minimize the mental breakdowns, play physical to the whistle, and control the ball and time of possession. Defensively, we need to tackle well, and limit the big plays. Bend but not break. If we can do these things, it will definitely be an interesting game."

The best thing about the Trojans is they keep improving.

I would say Scribner-Snyder is a better team now than what they were the first couple games of the season.

I'm willing to bet the Trojans got even better this week which could make for an interesting game against Fullerton.

The Warriors are a good team, but they have yet to be tested.

The teams they've played are a combined 1-12.

I'm not suggesting Scribner-Snyder is a huge test, but I would argue the Trojans are the best team Fullerton will have faced so far.

I think Scribner-Snyder has a chance to make things interesting Friday night.

I think the Trojans can keep things respectable, and make a game of things, at least for a while.

It's going to take a near perfect game from Scribner-Snyder to win, in my opinion, but anything is possible.

There's not a lot of room for error for the Trojans so it will be interesting to see what happens.

I think Scribner-Snyder is going to need to be able to run and pass the ball well to have a shot.