Triton wins second straight, thrashes Smithfield-Selma football

Triton continued a late-season surge with a dominant victory over Smithfield-Selma, rolling to 459 yards on the ground in a 62-7 rout Friday night.

Senior Malcolm Smith led the assault, rushing for 179 yards on 10 carries and scoring three touchdowns as Triton (3-7, 2-2 Two Rivers 3A) won its second straight game.

“We tried to pound the ball (on the ground) and set the tone for the game,” Smith said. “We tried to get everybody involved in the game. We challenged our offense this week, to play our best game and play for the seniors.”

It was senior night for Triton, and the Hawks sent them out with a bang.

Triton led 41-0 at halftime. In the second half, with a continuous clock running, Triton scored three times in four plays – getting TD runs of 44, 60 and 76 yards.

It was that kind of night for the Hawks, who also got two touchdowns each from De’Marius Staton and Byron Massey.

The running game was working so well for the Hawks that they tried only two passes, both incompletions.

Outmanned Smithfield-Selma dropped to 0-10, 0-4 in the league.

Turning point

The Hawks settled this one early, putting together back-to-back 78-yard scoring drives the first two times they had the ball to go up 14-0. The rushing yards and touchdowns continued to mount as the game continued.

They said it

“We know what is ahead of us if we continue to win,” Triton coach Ben Penny said, referring to playoff possibilities for the Hawks. “Our guys responded well. They came out and didn’t let up. They played hard. They want it the rest of the season.

“Last week was a big win for our program, coming back (and winning) against a good team like South Johnston. I think we carried that over this week.”

Three who mattered

Malcolm Smith, Triton: The senior running back was electric, rushing for 179 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries. Smith had touchdown runs of 21, 16 and 44 yards and finished the game just 9 yards shy of 1,000 for the season.

“Malcolm is a special back,” Penny said. “He is the leader of this team and he has some goals in mind. He runs, he blocks, he does everything well.”

Byron Massey, Triton: Massey rushed for 83 yards on just four carries – breaking loose for a 60-yard scoring jaunt in the second half.

Tyuan Dubin, Smithfield-Selma: Dublin was the workhorse for the Spartans, rushing for 80 yards on 15 carries.

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 11:55 PM with the headline "Triton wins second straight, thrashes Smithfield-Selma football."