Taylor Blows Past Defiance in MSFA Opener

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Taylor went on the road on Saturday to open its Mid-States Football Association Mideast League schedule and came home with a lopsided, 42-10, victory over Defiance.

The Trojans got the ball just one time in the opening quarter and came away empty handed, but the TU defense ended the opening Defiance (2-5) drive with an interception and then held the hosts to just three points on a lengthy 17-play drive that put the Jackets in front, 3-0, early into the second.

It was all Taylor from there, as the Purple and Gray posted 14 points in each of the final three periods, rattling off 42-unanswered points and breezing to the win.

Taylor nearly doubled up Defiance in total yardage, logging 440 total yards of offense and holding DC to just 224. TU shut down the Defiance passing game, as the Jackets mustered just 56 passing yards against the Taylor secondary and tossed a trio of interceptions.

It was another vintage performance on the ground from the Taylor rushing attack, as the Trojans bullied DC for 337 rushing yards. TU shredded Defiance for a season-best 7.2 yards per carry en route to eclipsing 300 yards on the ground for a third time in seven games this season.

Ethan Albert led the charge with 92 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 rushes, while Alex Amburgy added five carries for 69 yards and one score. Deven Stupples and Nathan Parker also chipped in, finding the end zone once each.

Reid Messer led the stout defensive effort for the Trojans with a team-leading 10 tackles and one of TU's three picks, which he returned for 50 yards. Luke Graft and Grady Stanley also had interceptions, with Stanley returning his for an eight-yard touchdown.

In addition to his pick-six, Stanley added six tackles and two stops behind the line of scrimmage and Maverick Brown ended with eight hits and one sack.

RV Taylor (4-3, 1-0 MSFA) will be back in action on Saturday, October 25, when it plays at Lawrence Tech (1-5, 0-1 MSFA) at 1:00 pm.