Triton Central's defense shines in 24-0 sectional semifinal win at Shenandoah

MIDDLETOWN – Braden Brown was all the offense Triton Central needed and the defense pitched its second shutout of the season to advance the Tigers to the Class 2A, Sectional 38 championship game with a 24-0 victory Friday at Shenandoah.

Brown rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns while the passing game was out of rhythm against the Raiders (6-5).

Meanwhile, Triton Central’s defense limited Shenandoah to 141 yards of offense and just 14 plays run past midfield prior to the game’s final drive.

“Our defense has been improving all season and we’ve done a great job staying consistent,” said sophomore defensive lineman Dallas Clarke (photo).

The Raiders had just 43 yards of offense in the first half, fumbled on a kickoff return and quarterback Jarrett Helman threw two interceptions as the Tigers built a 14-0 lead.

Braden Brown (photo) scored on the first play after the fumble recovery for a 7-0 lead with 8:46 to go in the first quarter. The junior finished off a 13-play, 93-yard scoring drive on the next possession for a two-touchdown advantage.

The third score proved elusive for the Triton Central offense, but the defense never faltered.

“It started with the interior linemen and our linebackers had a real good night,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able. “We knew if we could make (Helman) throw the ball, he is a good runner but make him throw the ball and he would throw a lot of inaccurate throws. That just kept us in there while we were offensively struggling. We didn’t have a good passing game tonight.”

After a quick three-and-out on the opening possession of the second half, Triton Central took over and drove 45 yards for a Nick Tormoehlen 29-yard field goal that put the Raiders down 17-0.

Helman never got the Shenandoah offense in gear, completing just 11 of 32 passes for 113 yards. He was the Raiders’ leading rusher at 28 yards on 16 carries.

“They were really good at a lot of different plays, so we were really prepping for certain plays, watching different players move into different positions and that gave us where they were taking the ball,” said Clarke.

Triton Central’s defense showed off in a week three win over then top-ranked Indianapolis Lutheran, 16-13. The 35-21 loss to Monrovia the following week was the most points the Tigers have allowed this season.

“That was really big mentally because (Lutheran) has been a rival for a really long time,” said Clarke. “And they were also three-time state champs in a row and 45-0. They came in to try and whoop up on us and we kind of flipped it around.”

Brown added his third touchdown run of the night with just under six minutes to play to set the final score.

The Tigers have won seven straight games now and earned their 12^th consecutive appearance in a sectional championship game.

Lapel (8-3) defeated Centerville, 21-0, Friday in the other sectional semifinal contest and will travel to Mendenhall Field for the Sectional 38 championship game on Nov. 8.