THE GOUDARZI & YOUNG, LLP / ETBLITZ.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK IS… | The Troup Tigers!
A few factors we consider when choosing our team of the week award:
- Did they win?
- Was it a rivalry game?
- Were there some great individual performances?
- Was something big on the line?
Going down the list of those factors, this week’s honoree went check, check, check and check.
We’re talking about the Troup High School Tigers football team, coached by Sam Wells, who defeated West Rusk, 25-23, and have been chosen as the Goudarzi & Young, LLP / ETBlitz.com Team of the Week for Oct. 21-26!
A couple of things we didn’t mention, but we’re about to:
- Troup was coming off a 24-point home loss to New Diana, the leader in District 11-3A, Division I, something not easy to get over to prepare for maybe their biggest game of the season.
- The Tigers had to overcome an always-tough West Rusk home crowd, as the game was played at Bruce Bradshaw Stadium in New London.
- They went down 14-0 in the first half, and came back to tie it, not just once, but twice.
West Rusk scored a pair of first-half touchdowns and led 14-0 at the half. Bryce Wallum, who would have a huge night, cut the lead in half with a rushing touchdown in the third quarter, then did it again, a short TD by Wallum tying the game at 14-all.
The Raiders went in front again on a 63-yard touchdown pass to Judson Dotson, who also had a great night, and West Rusk was back up, 21-14.
West Rusk attempted a field goal that was blocked in regulation, and the teams went into overtime.
Neither team would score in the first three overtimes, and both teams scored in the fourth, but it was tied again at 23 after that one, and by that time, the teams are simply alternating two-point conversions.
Finally, Wallum scored in overtime No. 5, giving Troup a 25-23 lead, and the Tigers’ defense kept West Rusk out of the end zone on its try, finishing the game and the comeback.
Wallum finished with 177 rushing yards, the three touchdowns and one of the two-point conversions (James Pierce had the other), and also kicked all three extra points and threw for 96 yards, including three catches by Josh Childress for 40 yards. Pierce had four catches for 31 yards and Logan Chambers had a 29-yard catch. Jackson Waller and Luke Skillern led the defense – Waller had 15 tackles, and Skillern, 14 tackles, one for loss. The Tigers had four sacks, two by Caden Starkey and one each by Skillern and Sean Flood, and Waller, Noble Kendrick and Caden Claburn each had a fumble recovery, and Brett Wells had an interception.
Troy Hunley of West Rusk went 16-of-31 for 235 yards, an interception and the touchdown pass to Dotson, who had eight catches for 168 yards and the score. Cole Jackson led with 40 yards rushing.
Troup is 6-3 on the season overall, now, and far more importantly, 4-1 in district play. New Diana appears to have the district wrapped up with a 5-0 district record, but it looks like – with wins over West Rusk and Arp – that Troup has second-place wrapped up, as well. The Tigers are off this week, and then finish the regular season at home against one-win Buffalo.
The law firm of Goudarzi & Young, LLP sponsor our team of the week award, and that was by design: they’re a fantastic team in their own right.
Led by Brent Goudarzi, who founded the practice in 1997, and partner Marty Young, they’re heading up arguably the top practice in the nation. Goudarzi & Young have verdicts of $730 million and $260 million, and the three largest trucking settlements in history of the nation: $150 million, $140 million, and $125 million.
And their staff – Kristina Pierce Joseph, Thomas Reardon Jr., Kevin Simons, Jessica Allen and R. Clay Kimbrough – work for East Texas. They work for you, in the event of cases involving wrongful death, car accidents, accidents involving 18-wheelers as mentioned, burn injuries, property and product injuries, oilfield injuries and insurance claims.
Contact them at their website, Goudarzi & Young, L.L.P. – Tyler & Longview Personal Injury Lawyers (goudarziyounglaw.com), by phone at (903) 660-5667 or toll free at 877-599-7382.
Brent Goudarzi and Marty Young are East Texans working for East Texans. And here is how important their word is to them.
And congratulations from the staff of Gourdarzi & Young, LLP and from ETBlitz.com to the Troup Tigers – the Goudarzi & Young / ETBlitz Team of the Week!