“No big plays,” Badin senior Xander Arnold said. “If they get to the 20 within, we can stop anybody in the state — and just stay with it.
“Defense wants to be out there every game. We want the game on us. We’re not nervous at all. We want the game on us. We knew this was going to be a low-scoring game.”
Badin (9-2) moves on to face No. 5 Mount Healthy (9-2) — a 26-20 winner over Aiken — next Friday at Fairfield Alumni Stadium. Badin has won nine in a row since losing to Hamilton and St. Francis DeSales to start the season.
The only other time Badin and Trotwood-Madison played was in the 2019 playoffs when Trotwood won 20-7.
Badin coach Yordy said he wasn’t too excited about his team’s first-round matchup against Trotwood-Madison (5-6), which won its last five games heading into Friday by outscoring opponents 242-6. Trotwood was competitive in its five losses.
“Those guys are not a 13-seed team by any means,” Yordy said. “We knew that. You could tell on film they’ve been in tough games all year from the beginning of the year. So, we knew what was coming. Trying to explain to the kids. I think they figured it out pretty fast — that team was pretty darn good.”
Garrett Konesky threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to James Brink, and Lem Grayson caught a jet-sweep from Colt Emerson and took it 69 yards for a score to give Badin a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.
Badin had minus-10 yards rushing for the game, and Trotwood-Madison had 10 more first downs (13-3) than Badin in the first half.
“Them boys were well-disciplined — completely changed their offense and their defense when we watched their film,” Grayson said. “So, it was kind of hard adjusting. But these great coaches helped us adjust.
“The 69 run, coach was telling me they overflowed real bad,” Grayson added. “So, I saw the safety come down super far. I tried to cut it up and got up out of there.”
Trotwood scored twice in the second half — once on a Dallas Shehee pass connection to Deontai Gholson and the other on a Darius Dennis TD plunge. Trotwood couldn’t convert of both 2-point attempts. Shehee threw for 221 yards and a touchdown.
“I talked to reporters earlier in the week, and they asked me, “Do you think this would be an upset?’” Trotwood-Madison coach Jeff Graham said. “I said listen, ‘When you get to the postseason, everybody is 0-0. So, anything can happen. Anything can be possible.’
“That’s why I just want our kids to go out there and fight and give the effort. But some of our mistakes just carried on from Day 1 until now. Until we learn how to really focus and do what we have to do as far as being committed to the game, then I think we’ll turn it around for us.”
In the second quarter, Trotwood’s Mike Keith Jr., who sustained a back injury, was taken off on a stretcher and to the hospital. Both programs took a knee as the sophomore was being attended to.
“They were taking him back for more X-rays, so they told us they would probably let me know in a little bit,” Graham said after the game. “They said he was still in the same amount of pain that he was when he left here. So, we’re praying for him and the outcome.”
Trotwood had 24 first downs, while Badin had just six. Trotwood outgained Badin, 386-113. Badin’s Ben Sakach punted the ball eight times.
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