This past Friday, Nov. 4,
The Collins Titans lost their fifth straight playoff game in the last five years Friday against a tough North Laurel team. The 42-28 loss was a heartbreaker for Collins.
Coming into the game, Collins (6-5) was without their starting running back, senior A.J. Higgins, sophomore cornerback Quinten Wooten, and sophomore linebacker Josh Leinhart. These missing pieces changed the ability of the Titans effectiveness on both offense and defense.
The teams played like professional boxers to start the game, with neither team able to put up a score until halfway through the second quarter.
North Laurel (6-5) finally put points on the board halfway through the second quarter with a two-yard rushing touchdown from junior Treyshawn Holmes-Evans.
The Jaguars found themselves in the end zone again just moments later on their next drive with a 63-yard rushing touchdown from junior Tucker Warren, giving North Laurel a 14-0 lead.
Collins finally found pay dirt at the end of the first half with a one-yard rush from senior Kenyon Goodin.
In the third quarter, North Laurel found the end zone early on with a second rushing touchdown from Holmes-Evans. Collins struggled to contain their rushing game, as the Jaguars ran the ball 50 times for 359 yards for the game.
Collins showed a lot of fight during their next possession, driving the ball 65 yards in seven plays to score another goal line rushing touchdown from Goodin. This touchdown put the Titans within one touchdown of the Jaguars, but this began the ping-pong volley of touchdowns that would continue for the rest of the game.
On the next drive, junior Ethan Gregory ran the ball 22 yards for a North Laurel touchdown. This gave the Jaguars a 28-14 lead to end the third quarter.
Goodin rushed for his third touchdown early in the fourth quarter, bringing the Titans back within a touchdown, but North Laurel responded very quickly with another rushing touchdown from Gregory minutes later.
Despite the constant scoring from the Jaguars, Collins maintained composure and drove the ball down the field, capping off a nine-play drive with an eight-yard passing touchdown from Goodin to senior Hunter Klusch. This score made the game 35-28 with five minutes left in the game.
Collins attempted an onside kick following the passing touchdown, but committed an offsides penalty on the attempt, and were forced to kick a regular kick off. North Laurel continued to run the clock and force Collins to use their timeouts. The Jaguars finished this drive off with a 17-yard run from Warren, giving North Laurel the 42-28 lead that would be the final score.
Collins tried to move the ball down the field, but the two minutes they had to score two touchdowns was not enough for the Titans to complete any kind of comeback.
In the game, Goodin ran the ball for 88 yards and three rushing touchdowns. He also passed the ball for 203 yards and a touchdown while also leading the team in tackles in his final game in a Collins uniform.
N. Laurel 0 14 14 14 - 42
Collins 0 7 7 14 - 28