New Kent’s offensive woes continues; Lafayette dominates Trojans

New Kent's Logan Frederick hauls in a pass at the end of the first half, but is unable to score before the clock expires.

Robb Johnson photo

After a strong start to the football season with two straight wins, New Kent’s Trojans have saw the outcomes change dramatically as they faced better competition in recent weeks. A visit from powerhouse Lafayette did the hosts no favors.

The visiting Lafayette Rams had little trouble with the homestanding Trojans, cruising to a 55-2 victory Friday night.

New Kent came into the contest with senior Nathan Thornton took over play-calling duties. On the first play, the new quarterback found himself sacked in the backfield. New Kent was forced to punt, with Lafayette taking possession of the ball. An easy drive for the visitors saw Kristian Wilkerson carry the ball in from one yard out.

The second series saw Thornton connect with former starting quarterback Wade Grubbs, who moved to wide receiver on a 14-yard connection. But Thornton fumbled the ball on the next play, returning possession to the Rams. Lafayette quarterback Luke Hanson connected with wide receiver Mike Green from 13 yards out to give the visitors a 14-0 lead early into quarter number two.

Lafayette continued its mix of air and ground to decimate the Trojans defense. Wilkerson broke free for a 76-yard score, while Hanson aired it out to teammate Donald Gatling on a 60-yard connection.

From there, Lafayette added points to the scoreboard to initiate a running clock. Only a safety late in the fourth quarter accounted for New Kent’s points.

Trojans’ head coach John Fulks commented about the switch at quarterback due to Grubbs’ injury that he suffered last week at Poquoson.

“He got injured and really didn’t feel like he was mobile,” the head coach said. “We were trying to get a spark and have him play some other positions defensively.”

“Right now, our offense has been shut out for three weeks,” Fulks continued. “We have to find an identity. We have not moved the ball and it’s been many factors. We’ll figure it out, but we have to get better on offense and tackle better on the perimeters.”

New Kent’s record drops to 2-3 on the season.