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Trojans back into playoffs after beating Union 26-16

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - West Marshall wide receiver Joe Halverson, left, hauls in a pass in front of Union Community defender CJ Weltzin (2) during the third quarter of Friday’s Class 2A District 7 football game in State Center.

STATE CENTER — The West Marshall football team capped off the regular season with a 26-16 win over Union Community in a Class 2A District 7 matchup on Friday night.

The win secured a spot in a three-way tie for West Marshall, as the Trojans (7-2, 4-1), Knights (6-3, 4-1) and Benton Community (8-1, 4-1) all finished with the same district record.

Union scored first, but the Trojans scored 20 unanswered before halftime to own a 20-8 lead.

West Marshall head coach Cody Hackett said he couldn’t be prouder of his team.

“It’s a good feeling, more importantly for these guys,” Hackett said of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. “They went through the process and they deserved it. They got better every year, they deserved it and earned it. Good feeling and now to get keep playing.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Senior quarterback Cameron Bannister finished with 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries an he threw for 164 yards and a touchdown on a 14-for-24 line.

His most important play might have come in the fourth quarter, however, as the Knights were driving down 26-16 with less than five minutes remaining. Bannister reached up and brought down an interception at the Trojan 4-yard line, effectively ending Union’s chances to win or tie.

Chase Burr also eclipsed the 100-yard mark rushing, going for 104 yards on just five carries. He had the longest score of the night with an 87-yard scoot.

David Willis was the leader defensively with 10 total tackles, but Burr followed closely with 9.5 and Joe Halverson had eight. Halverson also caught five passes for 97 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown.

Hackett said now that the Trojans are back in the playoffs, they are going to keep things the same and prepare to win.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

“We are going to approach it like any other week,” he said. “We find out tomorrow morning who we play, we’ll have a meeting and put together a plan to have our kids be successful. Same routine and go from there.”

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