Fleming a Trojan Horse Against Troy

Five-star wide receiver Julian Fleming scores four total touchdowns in district semifinal win.

BY DANIEL LIPOVSKY

Fourth Quarter Media

FRANKLIN TWP. — Julian Fleming showed off a new pair of red and white Ohio State gloves as he hauled in two touchdowns on each side of the ball, carrying the Southern Columbia Tiger’s to a 69-16 victory over Troy in the District 4 Class 2A semifinal.

“You might see a couple teams popping up, you might see a couple different colors popping up,” Fleming said. “You can’t let anybody assume anything too quick.”

Fleming hauled in seven passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns through the air. On defense he added two interception returns for touchdowns in the span of three plays. One of the interceptions was a one-handed grab that Fleming made look routine.

“It really is a team effort you know the defensive line was really putting pressure on the quarterback,” Fleming said.

Fleming does not usually see the ball come his way on defense but on Saturday night he took advantage of his opportunity to make a difference on defense.

“It was read and react because I was a little surprised,” Fleming said.

The Tiger defense held Troy to just 113 yards of offense, including just 36 yards through the air. The Trojans were unable to cross into Tiger territory until 6:34 remaining in the third quarter.

“They came out and took care of business the way they needed to,” head coach Jim Roth said.

Stone Hollenbach throws a pass in a playoff game against Troy on Saturday. (Photo by Ethan Brodie).

Senior quarterback Stone Hollenbach added three scores through the air to help the Tigers defeat the Trojans. Hollenbach was 8-for-11 for 125 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception as the Tigers outclassed Troy.

“Thats how we found success, we just had better athletes than they did,” Hollenbach said.

The third member of Southern Columbia’s three-headed offensive monster, Gaige Garcia, added a solid game in Southern’s winning effort.

Garcia contributed two touchdowns on the ground and one through the air, displaying the Tigers’ well rounded offensive approach. Garcia’s receiving touchdown came on an outstanding one-handed catch which he hauled in on his way to an 18-yard score.

Julian Fleming high points a football for a catch against Troy on Saturday night. (Photo by Ethan Brodie).

“We’ve got to come out as a team,” Fleming said.

In the first quarter, the younger Garcia brother, Gavin, added an incredible 41-yard run in which he broke several tackles and reversed field to get the Tigers inside the 5. After, Gaige Garcia punched the ball into the endzone to give Southern an early 20-0 lead. Gavin Garcia finished the night with four carries for 76 yards on the ground.

With the game out of hand, Southern substituted their starters for reserves. Braden Heim and Jayden McCormick took advantage of their opportunities and each added a fourth-quarter score on the ground.

Troy 0 0 0 16 16

Southern Columbia 20 28 7 14 69

First quarter

SC- Julian Fleming 29 pass from Stone Hollenbach (kick failed), 10:06

SC - Gaige Garcia 18 pass from Hollenbach (Dunkelberger kick), 6:15

SC - Gai. Garcia 2 run (Dunkelberger kick) 3:44

Second quarter

SC- Fleming 9 pass from Hollenbach (Dunkelberger kick), 9:12

SC - Ty Roadarmel 32 run (Dunkelberger kick), 5:24

SC - Gai. Garcia 63 run (Dunkelberger kick), 1:41

SC - Fleming 32 interception (Dunkelberger kick), 1:25

Third quarter

SC - Fleming 36 interception (Dunkelberger kick), 10:42

Fourth quarter

T - Bailey Gohick 2 run (Williams pass from Dominic Ayers), 10:34

SC - Braden Heim 3 run (Dunkelberger kick), 5:29

T - Tyler Williams 83 kick return (Caleb Binford from Ayers) 5:25

SC - Jayden McCormick 5 run (Dunkelberger kick), 2:42

Troy S.C.

First Downs 8 18

Rush-Yds 34-77 28-325

Comp-Att-Int 6-14-2 8-11-1

Pass 36 125

Total Yds. 113 450

Penalties 1-10 7-88

Fumbles Lost 0-0 2-1

Rushing - Troy: Bailey Cohick 15-53, TD; Tyler Williams 8-22; Dominic Ayers 10-1; Damien Landon 1-1. Southern Columbia: Gaige Garcia 7-107, 2 TDs; Gavin Garcia 4-76; Ty Roadarmel 2-52, TD; Braden Heim 4-43, TD; Jayden McCormick 5-33, TD; Brandon Gedman 4-16, TD; Stone Hollenbach 1-0; Team 1-(-2).

Passing - Troy: Dominic Ayers 6-14-2, 36. Southern Columbia: 8-11-1 125 yds, 3 TDs.

Receiving - Troy: Seldon Rogers 4-24; Bailey Gohick 1-7; Nick Colton 1-5. Southern Columbia: Julian Fleming 7-107, 2 TDs; Gaige Garcia 1-18, TD.