SPRING VALLEY - With Mendota and Hall both searching for their first win of the season, something had to give. Unfortunately, it was Mendota that was in the giving mood, as it surrendered a season-high yards and points to the Red Devils.
A Trojan lead in the third quarter quickly evaporated when Hall scored six unanswered touchdowns on its way to a 62-27 victory over Mendota in a Three Rivers Conference Mississippi Division slugfest on Sept. 13 at Richard Nesti Stadium in Spring Valley.
The loss dropped Mendota to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the league, while Hall went to 1-2 and 1-0.
After two weeks of struggling to find any consistency on offense, the Trojans found it against Hall, displaying a balanced attack with 171 yards rushing and 215 passing. But on the other side of the ball, Mendota had the same problems it’s experienced early this season - finding a way to contain the opposition’s offense. Hall ran a total of 40 plays from scrimmage and churned out 473 yards (11.8 yards per play average) with junior running backs Aiden Redcliffe (15 carries, 158 yards) and Braden Curran (10 carries, 157 yards) slicing up the Trojan defense and junior quarterback Dylan Glynn passing for 108 yards.
Mendota held the lead three times in the game, twice in the first half and the third time with 6:49 left in the third quarter. Trailing 20-15 at halftime, the Trojans got the ball to start the second half and immediately benefited from two Hall penalties totaling 25 yards that advanced the ball to the 50-yard line. Seven plays later, Braiden Freeman got behind the Hall defense and quarterback Aden Tillman connected with him on a 21-yard touchdown pass to put Mendota in front, 21-20.
But the lead was extremely short-lived. In fact, just 53 seconds. Hall got a 35-yard kickoff return from Jack Curran that set the Red Devils up at Mendota’s 40-yard line. Two plays later, Braden Curran sprinted to the end zone from 22 yards out followed by a Redcliffe two-point conversion run to give Hall a 28-21 lead, an advantage that turned into a runaway train for the Red Devils.
After Freeman’s TD reception to put Mendota on top, Hall scored six touchdowns in a row to open up a 41-point lead.
The Red Devils added one more score before the end of the third period. Starting at the Mendota 47-yard line after a Trojan punt, Hall was facing a fourth-and-3 from the 40 when Glynn handed off to Redcliffe, who not only picked up the first down, but rambled 40 yards to the end zone. Ilan Bardot booted the PAT kick to make it 35-21.
Hall got two more touchdowns from Redcliffe in the fourth frame and one from Braden Curran, and also scored a defensive TD. All four touchdowns occurred in less than a four-minute span.
Redcliffe finished off another fourth-and-3, this time bursting into the end zone from the 9-yard line, at the 8:25 mark of the fourth quarter, followed by a Bardot kick.
On Mendota’s ensuing possession, a Trojan fumble was recovered by Hall’s Glynn at the 50. From there, Braden Curran bolted half the field to paydirt and the count stood at 48-21.
The Trojans fumbled again on their next series and this time Glynn scooped it up and raced 45 yards for a score. Bardot added the extra-point kick.
Mendota didn’t even get to go back on offense after the Glynn TD as it once again fumbled the ball back to Hall on the kickoff return at the Trojan 31-yard line. Seconds later, Redcliffe ran in from 10 yards out, followed by a Bardot kick, and Hall’s lead swelled to 62-21.
The Trojans ended the game on a good note when freshman Kadrean Price finished off a scoring drive with a punishing 36-yard touchdown run with 1:41 left.
Tillman was responsible for 275 of Mendota’s yards. He ran 21 times for 105 yards and completed 10 of 15 passes for 170 yards. Jayden Lesley had four catches for 69 yards and Rhett Watson caught three passes for 68 yards.
The game started off as a back-and-forth affair with each team exchanging touchdowns.
Hall got on the board first on a 39-yard TD pass from Glynn to Braden Curran just over a minute into the contest. Bardot’s PAT kick hit the goal post and was no good.
Mendota answered with a 12-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by a 35-yard touchdown strike from Tillman to Watson. Angil Serrano booted the extra-point kick for a 7-6 Trojan lead.
Hall went back on top when Braden Curran’s 11-yard run culminated an 8-play, 69-yard drive. Bardot’s kick was good.
But back came the Trojans, who went 58 yards in just four plays to regain the lead. A 26-yard completion from Tillman to Watson started the drive, and then a 26-yard pass from Tillman to Lesley ended the drive with Mendota back in the end zone. Tillman ran in the two-pointer to put the Trojans up, 15-13.
A Hall fumble recovered by Mendota’s Gavin Evans and then the Trojans turning the ball over on downs chewed up the next nine minutes of the clock until only 1:04 was left before intermission. But that was still enough time for the Red Devils to go 78 yards in six plays, the final play a 4-yard touchdown run by Glynn with 13 seconds left. Bardot’s kick made it 20-15 Hall at the break.
