Lincoln High put together a strong first-half performance Friday night at Gene Cox Stadium, but Trinity Christian pulled away in the second half to hand the Trojans a 48-28 loss on Sept. 4.
The Trojans came out aggressively, scoring on their opening offensive possession. Senior quarterback Thomas Hutchinson connected with senior receiver Trevor Jacobs for a 30-yard touchdown, giving Lincoln an early 7-0 advantage.
Trinity Christian answered with a rushing touchdown from its quarterback to tie the game at 7-7. After Lincoln was forced to punt, the Conquerors added another score late in the opening quarter to take a 14-7 lead.
Lincoln responded with one of its best stretches of the night in the second quarter.
With roughly eight minutes remaining in the half, the Trojans recovered a fumble to regain possession and an opportunity to even the score. Senior running back Andreas Green finished the ensuing scoring drive with a touchdown run, tying the game at 14 with 5:35 remaining in the second quarter.
Lincoln then regained the lead before halftime. Hutchinson found Jacobs for another touchdown, giving the Trojans a 21-14 advantage with 2:50 left in the half.
Hutchinson and Jacobs were the centerpiece of Lincoln’s passing attack. Hutchinson completed 24 of 44 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns, while Jacobs finished with seven receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Lincoln carried its seven-point lead into halftime, but Trinity Christian began to seize control after the break.
The Conquerors opened the second half with a long scoring drive, tying the game at 21 on another quarterback rushing touchdown. After a Lincoln punt, Trinity Christian broke off a 70-yard touchdown run with three minutes remaining in the third quarter to take its first lead of the second half, 28-21.
Trinity Christian extended the advantage to 34-21 with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, putting Lincoln in a two-score hole.
The Trojans continued to fight back. After turning the ball over on downs with seven minutes remaining, Lincoln briefly regained possession when a fumble recovery followed an interception on the Trojans’ own 48-yard line.
The turnover gave Lincoln another opportunity to mount a comeback, and the Trojans capitalized. Hutchinson connected with senior Javen McFadden for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 34-28 with time remaining.
McFadden finished the game with three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. Green added eight receptions for 82 yards while also contributing three rushing yards and Lincoln’s other rushing touchdown.
Trinity Christian answered immediately, however, scoring another rushing touchdown to push the lead back to 41-28. Lincoln then threw another interception with two minutes remaining, and Trinity Christian added one final rushing touchdown to produce the 48-28 final.
Despite the loss, Lincoln’s offense produced 327 total yards, including 273 through the air and 54 on the ground.
Jacobs was particularly productive beyond his receiving numbers, adding 80 kickoff-return yards for 226 all-purpose yards. Lincoln’s defense was led by sophomore Landon Purifoy with 12 total tackles, while senior Mannie Hackney recorded 10 and junior Kason Scott had nine tackles and a tackle for loss.
Lincoln will look to rebound next week when the Trojans play an away game against Rickards on Sept. 11.
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