Tormoehlen's late field goal nets Triton Central first Hoosier Legends Conference victory

LIZTON – When Class 2A, No. 9 Triton Central needed one final drive to seal its first Hoosier Legends Conference victory, the offense went 79 yards on 13 plays to set up a Nick Tormoehlen 18-yard field goal with 12.3 seconds on the clock to secure a 17-14 win at Class 3A, No. 7 Tri-West.

Triton Central senior Braden Brown rushed 25 times for 195 yards and two touchdowns to get the Tigers off to their first 3-0 start since 2018 and a new sign for its football facility – the Battle of Interstate 74 sign (main photo) that will serve as a traveling trophy between the two programs.

For the third consecutive game, Triton Central was best in the fourth quarter.

“Really it’s the people around us,” said Brown (photo) of the Tigers’ fourth-quarter resilience. “We are inspired by our teammates screaming on the sideline to go farther and farther. The offense is always telling us to get one more step, that helps us get those drives in order.”
Tri-West (2-1) needed just seven plays to reach the end zone in the opening quarter. Highly touted junior quarterback Jack Sorgi guided a 57-yard scoring drive that he finished off with a 6-yard run.

Triton Central answered right back with a 5-play drive highlighted by Zeke Robertson’s 45-yard run. Brown carried the ball the final 19 yards for a touchdown.

The Tigers’ defense was solid from there. The Bruins’ second series ended with a punt and their third series reached the red zone before Sorgi was hit hard inside the TC 10.

The Louisville commit slowly got up after an 8-yard run but had to go to the sideline for one play – a fourth-and-1 play at the 8-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Cody Morgan fumbled the snap and did not get a first down.

On the very next play, after a long delay to measure the spot, Brown got loose for a 93-yard touchdown run to give Triton Central a 14-7 lead it would hold until halftime.

“He makes big plays at big times,” said Triton Central head coach Tim Able of the All-State running back.

Tri-West dominated the third quarter, scoring on its opening drive when Sorgi connected with Eli Morgan in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown reception.

“They came out in the second half and really put it to us,” said Able. “Our kids were able to respond and at the end of the game, just like at Batesville, our kids found a way to dig deep and get close enough so Nick can put it through.”

Triton Central quarterback Matthew Wilkins threw interceptions on the Tigers’ first two possessions of the second half giving Tri-West the ball each time on the TC 33.

On the next drive, Tri-West’s Jax Clayton missed a 23-yard field goal attempt. Following the second interception, Triton Central stopped the Bruins in the red zone again for a change of possession on downs.

Triton Central ran just nine plays in the third quarter but Tri-West never capitalized.

Neither team scored on its next possession and Triton Central took the field with 6:26 to go at its own 20 and started marching.

Brown and Robertson were key players in the drive but Henry Kemper (photo) had a 22-yard reception for a first down near midfield. Brayden Whitlow hauled in a tipped pass near the sideline for 16 more yards.

And a 14-yard run from Brown set up first-and-10 at the 11 which forced Tri-West to use its timeouts.

“It was a really important drive, even if we had a couple third downs or seconds downs, our blockers did really well,” said Brown.

Brown carried the ball three more times to get to the goalline and Tormoehlen (photo), who missed a 45-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, drilled a second game-winning field goal inside the final minute this season.

Triton Central returns to Mendenhall Field next week for another HLC game against Monrovia (1-2).

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