Trotwood-Madison Clinches 3-0 Start with Late Pick vs. Springfield | Dayton Daily News
Dallas Shehee and Tristen Bozeman connect on two TDs for Rams
By David Jablonski, Dayton Daily News
The tipped pass hung in the air just long enough for Trotwood-Madison junior Darius Dennis to pick it off the end zone. He flew through the air to grab it in the final seconds and clinch a 16-13 victory against Springfield on Friday.
If not for the play by Dennis on 3rd-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Springfield would have had another chance at the end zone or could have attempted a game-tying field goal.
"I told my linebacker I was going to grab the middle," Dennis said, "because last year they beat us on a slant like that, and I was not going to make the same mistake."
In the 2024 matchup at Springfield, the Wildcats won 15-14 thanks to a touchdown and 2-point conversion with 19 seconds to play.
Friday's play also came in the final 30 seconds, and it allowed the Rams to secure their first 3-0 start since 2020.
"It's amazing," Dennis said. "We've got to keep working."
Trotwood beat Cleveland Heights 42-7 in Week 1 and beat Fairmont 22-21 in Week 2 on a touchdown and 2-point conversion with 3 seconds remaining.
"I hope these kids understand where they are as far as the work they've been doing," Trotwood coach Jeff Graham said, "and hopefully they're not complacent. That's the biggest thing that I'm trying to focus on with them. Hey, we haven't really established a complete overall game. It's been defense, defense, defense. The offense made a good drive last week. Defense, of course, made a great stop here. We've just got to keep you know, plugging away and understand that you know, defense wins championships, and our offense has got to methodically move the ball and not make turnovers."
Springfield fell to 0-3 for the first time since 2012. Wildcats coach Maurice Douglass, who led Trotwood to a state championship in 2012 and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2023, is 3-3 against his former team.
"We asked them to play for 48 minutes, and they did," Douglass said. "We just happened to be on the wrong side of the stick. We both made plays when we needed to make them. They just made one play more."
Springfield is one of four winless Greater Western Ohio Conference teams. Centerville, Fairmont and Northmont are also 0-3. Only Springboro (2-1) is over .500. All eight GWOC teams lost in Week 3.
In the last game against Springfield at Trotwood in 2023, Dennis also clinched a 21-20 victory on an interception with 1:15 to play.
This time, Springfield took possession at its own 36-yard line with 1:39 to play. Four straight completions by CJ Wallace gave Springfield a first down at the Trotwood 5-yard line with 29 seconds to play. That's where the drive stalled with two straight incompletions and the interception.
Trotwood won despite "a lot of mistakes," Graham said.
"I think we played very sloppy," he said. "I think that was the way that we practiced during the week, and now I'm hoping that these guys understand that the way you practice during the week will dictate how you play on Friday. It's like a dress rehearsal."
Trotwood led from start to finish. After a slow start by both offenses, Trotwood took an 8-0 lead on a 74-yard touchdown pass from Dallas Shehee to Tristen Bozeman and then a 2-point conversion with 2:01 left in the first half.
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