BOURBON – It was a time of celebration last Friday for the Triton football program. To continue the celebration, Triton will need to come up with one of the bigger wins in recent program history.

Triton (3-7) will host LaVille (7-3) in the IHSAA Class 1-A sectional 41 semi-finals, a 7 p.m. kick-off, for two teams that are coming off the first wins either club had in a sectional in a while. Triton beat South Central (Union Mills) 34-20 and LaVille shut out Lake Station 41-0, Triton’s first tournament win since the 2010 season and LaVille’s since the 2008 season.

Triton and LaVille both used similar recipes to reach the semi-finals. LaVille stacked up 229 yards rushing to overwhelm Lake Station, and scored on its first four possessions and added a late defensive touchdown. Triton relied upon it’s running game in the second half to wear down South Central after using two defensive scores in the first half to take the lead.

Jeremy Jones was a Trojan horse last week, scoring three times on runs of 17, 64 and 50 yards. For the season, Jones has 820 yards on 117 carries and nine touchdowns. Grant Stichter has also helped the Triton offense with 853 yards from the quarterback position, 447 of those yards on the ground.

“Our offense is not designed around big plays, but about consistency,” said Triton head coach John Johns. “At the half last week, we saw something and made a couple changes. It worked. The kids just need to do their jobs. If we play smart and hard, and execute the way we should, we hope to have a good night.”

The Trojan offense as a whole will need to find success against a Lancer team that held Triton to just 88 total net yards in the Oct. 3 meeting, won by LaVille 31-0.

Triton’s defense, which took a big step forward against South Central, will need to find a way to slow down LaVille’s ground game. LaVille is dependent on its rushing attack, which averages 191 yards per game, and isn’t shy about its unwillingness to pass, throwing for just eight yards last week and only 353 total yards and no passing touchdowns this season.

LaVille has three players with at least 350 yards on the ground this season, led by Ethan Kertai’s 940 yards. Mason Leed (499) and Caleb Dudeck (357) add to the three-headed monster, and all three scored last week.

“It will come down to aggressive play on their side of the line of scrimmage,” Johns said. “When you have three guys coming at you, you have to go after them. Make their backs change directions, slow them down. We have to hit the holes and not get snow plowed by their offensive line.”

Scoring early on LaVille is key, as the Lancers have allowed 52 of their 105 points in the first quarter, but only 20 combined points the next two quarters. Triton has allowed 32 points per game this season, right where LaVille was in the first matchup.

The winner Friday night will have a much taller task in the sectional final, with either No. 1 Winamac (10-0) or No. 4 Whiting (10-0) waiting as the home team regardless of the Triton-LaVille winner.

“None of the kids have ever experienced an extra week of practice,” Johns said. “We just have to forget about it, it’s just a football game like any other week. Try to prepare like any other game. The most important game of our season is Friday night against LaVille, but that’s not enough for us to just be playing. We want to win.”