NEW HOPE — The Trojans are back in the postseason for the first time since 2018.
New Hope made a historic turnaround from 0-10 last season to 8-2 in year one under head coach Allen Glenn.
The Trojans were just a couple of plays away from winning their first district championship since 1985 in a 14-7 loss to West Point last week, a reminder of both how far they’ve come and the heights they must reach to keep dancing in the playoffs.
“I think they were ready to get back at it,” Glenn said of his team’s reaction to the regular season finale. “We have a big game this week and it was a workman-like mentality. It’s that time of year, we’re 13-14 weeks in, so it was back to normal.”
The Trojans drove into West Point territory several times but came away with just one score. Two interceptions and a goalline stand from the Green Wave defense showed why the hosts are the defending Class 5A champions as well as the fine margins between winning and losing when everything is on the line.
“I thought defensively we played well all night,” Glenn said, reflecting on the game. “Offensively we turned it over a couple of times, got it inside the two-yard line, and didn’t get in the end zone early in the game, so there are a couple of things to work on there but I’m proud of the way our guys competed and went into a cool environment and went toe-to-toe with a good football team. At the end of the day, we got beat. There’s fine margins between winning and losing and we made a few costly mistakes, but hopefully, those are learning experiences moving into the playoffs and we can play well on Friday.”
This Friday, the Trojans return home to face Canton.
The Tigers, 7-3, are led by head coach Calvin Bolton, who is in his eighth year at the helm. Like the Trojans, the Tigers have plenty of talent on offense with dual threat quarterback Eric Gilkey III pulling the strings and Jayden Cration III pulling in passes and Southeastern Conference scholarship offers at wide receiver.
Senior running back Joseph Gray presents a threat alongside Gilkey on the ground, and for Glenn, stopping the Tigers on the ground is the key for the defense.
“Defensively what sticks out is how well they run,” he said. “We definitely have our work cut out for us. I have a lot of respect for those guys and what they’ve done throughout the year. They’ve had success and they’re playing at a high level.”
One boost for the Trojans is the home field advantage, which the team earned in part thanks to their 5-0 home record this season. Glenn expressed his gratitude to the level of support from the school and the community, and he expects that support to give his team another boost on Friday as they aim to keep their season going.
“It’s a cool deal,” Glenn said. “The community has rallied around this team, and I saw it when I moved here with the school in general. Whether it’s the arts or academics or athletics the community rallies around this school, and we’ve seen it firsthand in our season. The kids have done well and earned the right to play at home in the first round, hopefully we can go out and execute and earn the chance to play next week.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
