TROY — The Troy football team’s first game on its newly installed turf field at Troy Memorial Stadium didn’t end t he way the Trojans had hoped.

But, facing a strong Middletown team, the Trojans still had plenty of positives in a 28-18 loss.

Troy will stay at home Friday night, hosting Greenville.

It was Troy who got on the board first late in the first quarter.

After a holding penalty on a punt forced Troy to start at its own 10, the Trojans offense went to work.

On a third-and-three, Dakota Manson broke loose along the sideline and went 33 yards out to midfield.

Zachary Ullery ran nine yards for another first down and on a fourth-and-two play, Michael Tucker ran 10 yards for a first down at the 20-yard line.

The drive stalled there and Cameron Stoltz booted a 39-yard field goal with 20 seconds left to go in the opening quarter to put Troy in front 3-0.

Two plays later, Aidan Gorman intercepted a pass to give Troy the ball at Middletown’s 25-yard line.

The Trojans were forced to settle for a 48-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked.

Middletown started at the Troy 49 and it took just three plays to find the end zone.

After a 22-yard run by Kasaun Graham, quarterback Jeremiah Landers hooked up with Chandler Shields on a 28-yard TD pass and Noah Nicholas kicked the PAT to make it 7-3 with 9:08 left in the half.

Middletown would put together a nine-play, 60-yard drive late in the half.

Landers had a 32-yard run on the third play of the drive and would throw three yards to Maxmillian Johnson for the TD with 2:45 remaining in the half. Nicholas’ PAT kick made it 14-3 at the break.

Tucker ended Middletown’s first possession of the second half deep in Troy territory.

Neither team was able to score in the third quarter, but on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Middies snapped the ball over the punter’s head and Logan Westerfield recovered at the Middletown 14.

Troy quarterback Aiden Kirkpatrick ran the ball into the end zone on the next play and Stoltz’s PAT kick made it 14-10 with 11:54 remaining in the game.

Middletown would answered with an 80-yard drive.

On third-and-6 at Middletown 35, Landers found Johnson on a crossing pattern and it took it 65 yards to the end zone to make it 21-10.

The Middies then put a 67-yard drive together, with Demetrian James running for a 22-yard TD and Nicholas’ kick made it 28-10.

Troy would close the scoring on a 34-yard pass from Kirkpatrick to Manson, with Kirkpatrick running for the two-point PAT to make the final 28-18.

Manson led the rushing attack with 91 yards on 13 carries.

Kirkpatrick rushed for 81 yards on 18 carries and completed two of seven passes for 29 yards.

Landers completed 12 of 20 passes for Middletown for 195 yards.

Johnson had six catches for 95 yards and Shields had four catches for 92 yards.

Graham led the rushing attack with 85 yards on 12 carries.

Creighton Verceles led the Troy defense with eight tackles and Nathan Wyatt had 1.5 sacks.

Sports Editor Rob Kiser can be reached at [email protected]