Trinity rocks and rolls over Henry Clay 50-14

Henry Clay at least had a few minutes of fun in its showdown with playoff nemesis Trinity tonight.

The Blue Devils took an early 7-0 lead in their Class 6A quarterfinal game, giving them and their fans hopes of ending years of futility against Trinity.

But the fun quickly dissolved into frustration as the Shamrocks rolled to a 36-7 halftime lead on their way to a 50-14 victory on a cold night at Marshall Stadium.

“It’s that time of year, and our kids like having their backs to the wall,” said Bob Beatty, who notched his 100th win in his eighth season as Trinity coach.

For Henry Clay, it was a painfully familiar end to the season, the third year in a row Trinity has ousted the Devils from the playoffs.

“This was a tough loss,” Coach Sam Simpson said. “I really felt we had a chance to come in here, keep it close and maybe win it at the end.”

But Trinity’s defense forced three turnovers, and its offense was outstanding under the direction of Will Stein. The senior quarterback had six touchdown passes to give him 48 for the season, eclipsing the school record of 47 set by Brian Brohm.

“That’s not my record,” Stein said. “That’s the whole offense’s record. I couldn’t do it without my offensive line; my receiving corps makes me look good, and (running back) Tim Phillips opens things up for everybody.”

Trinity, in the hunt for its 18th state championship, will host Boone County or Shelby County in the semifinals next week.

Trinity, which beat Paul Dunbar 41-7 and Lafayette 56-6 late in the regular season, had no trouble lighting up the scoreboard again last night.

Stein was masterful, completing 17 of 24 passes for 345 yards and six scores.

The Dutton twins — Alex and Nathan — had a big night catching the ball. Alex had seven receptions for 174 yards and two TDs. Nathan had five grabs for 132 yards and three TDs.

Tim Phillips ran 24 times for 180 yards and a TD (shown above)

Trinity finished the night with 551 yards to Henry Clay’s 440. The Devils were led by Dontey Gay’s 100 yards rushing. He also had six catches for 83 yards and a score.

Ryan Phillippi completed 19 of 37 passes for 270 yards and one TD.

But Henry Clay made too many mistakes to pull the upset. It lost two fumbles in less than two minutes midway through the first half, and Trinity cashed in with touchdowns both times.

Henry Clay star receiver Aaron Boyd also dropped a couple passes, including a TD toss that he had in his hands, that might’ve given the visitors some momentum.

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Beatty said. “To hold an explosive team like Henry Clay to (14 points) is absolutely outstanding.”

Simpson, whose Devils finished 10-2, said he and his staff must “figure out a way to get over the hump” after Trinity ran its all-time record against Henry Clay to 7-0.