NJCAA: No. 4 Trinity Valley rallies past Blinn 31–20 to complete unbeaten conference season
The No. 4 Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals overcame a 10-point deficit to defeat the visiting Blinn College Buccaneers (4–5) 31–20 at Bruce Field in Athens, Texas, completing a perfect 7–0 Southwest Junior College Football Conference (SWJCFC) campaign in NJCAA football action.
The Homecoming victory secured the Cardinals’ second unbeaten conference championship in four seasons and gave head coach Sherard “Po” Poteete his 56th career victory.
Blinn takes control before halftime
The Buccaneers opened the scoring with Jonathan Sanchez’s 32-yard field goal before Trinity Valley answered with a touchdown pass.
Sanchez added a 23-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7–6 after the first quarter.
Blinn regained the lead when Lorenn Johnson scored on a six-yard run, and after a Cardinals field goal, Semaj Gatson exploded for a spectacular 94-yard touchdown run to make it 20–10.
However, Trinity Valley answered with another touchdown pass before halftime, narrowing the deficit to 20–17.
Cardinals dominate second half
The Cardinals completely reversed the momentum after the break.
A third-quarter rushing touchdown gave Trinity Valley a 24–20 advantage, while its defense shut out Blinn over the final two quarters.
The decisive moment came with 2:34 remaining when Eddie Robinson Jr. blocked a punt and Ryan Pelly returned it for a touchdown, sealing the 31–20 victory.
LaTour leads balanced offensive attack
Quarterback Jackson LaTour completed 26 of 42 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns as Trinity Valley amassed 526 yards of total offense.
Chauncey Hogg caught six passes for 107 yards and a touchdown, while KJ Madison added three receptions for 68 yards and another score.
Jalan Campiti led the rushing attack with 104 yards on 24 carries, while Maddux Shelby contributed 61 yards and a touchdown.
Defense delivers championship performance
JaMari Stewart led the Cardinals with nine tackles, while Robinson recorded eight tackles, two tackles for loss and the game-changing blocked punt.
Jordan Stevens and Whitney Fuller each intercepted a pass, while Cade Pointer and Darrien Blackshire recorded sacks.
“Our guys did an amazing job of being relentless. They found a way,” Poteete said.
Playoffs await Trinity Valley
The victory moved Poteete past Bob Baccarini into second place on Trinity Valley’s all-time coaching wins list with a 56–29 record.
The Cardinals now host Snow College in the NJCAA Region XIV Playoffs on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m.
Blinn, meanwhile, finishes its season 4–5 overall and 2–5 in conference play.
