GREENVILLE — The Troy football team will head into this week’s Thursday Night Lights game with Vandalia-Butler with plenty of momentum.

The Trojans made big plays early and often in a second straight running-clock win, handling the Greenville football team 52-0 Friday night.

“Isn’t that what you are supposed to do,” Troy football coach Troy Everhart said about the big win.

And it didn’t take long for Troy to gain the momentum.

On the fourth play of the game, Greenville faced a fourth-and-one from its own 29-yard line,

The Troy defense stuffed the play at the line of scrimmage, giving the ball to the offense at the Wave 29.

“That was a big play,” Everhart said. “That set the tone for the game.”

A 14-yard run by Dakota Manson set up a 4-yard TD run by Jahari Ward and Cameron Stoltz’s PAT kick made it 7-0 with 7:28 remaining in the opening quarter.

After a Greenville three-and-out, Troy quarterback Aiden Kirkpatrick electrified the Trojan fans with a 59-yard TD pass to Kellen Miller and Stoltz’s kick made it 14-0 with 4:58 remaining in the quarter.

Troy next possession was a three-play scoring drive.

Starting at the Greenville 44, Aidan Gorman ran nine yards.

Kirkpatrick would then connect on short pass to Gorman and he took it all the way to the Greenville two-yard line.

After the touchdown on the following play and Stoltz’s kick made it 21-0.

The Trojans would added three more touchdowns in the second quarter.

Caleb Akins would step in front of a Greenville pass and return it 44 yards for a touchdown.

Troy would then go 40 yards in three plays.

Gorman would start the drive with a 21-yard run and a penalty would take the ball down to the 11-yard line.

Ward ran five yards, setting up a 6-yard TD run by Manson.

Following a Logan Ullery interception, Troy went 61 yards in six plays.

Ward had runs of 20 and 13 yards on the drive and Stoltz ad an 18-yard run down to the eight-yard line.

Two plays later, Ward ran it in from four yards out. Stoltz’s sixth PAT kick of the game made it 42-0 at halftime.

Troy’s success continued in the second half.

Ullery returned the second-half kickoff 80 yards for a score and Stoltz added the PAT kick to make it 49-0.

Greenville would fumble on the kickoff with Troy recovering, which led to a 32-yard field goal by Stoltz.

The rest of the second half remaining scoreless until Gorman returned an interception 90 yards on the game’s final play for a 58-0 final.

“That is how you build a program (getting a number of players playing time),” Everhart said. “I just wish I could have gotten everyone into the game.”

Ward led a balanced Troy rushing attack with 57 yards on eight carries.

Kirkpatrick and Stoltz combined to complete two of three passes for 98 yards.

The defense allowed Greenville just first downs and 114 yards.

Logan Westerfield had six tackles, while Kaden Zimmer had five, including 2.5 for loss.

Now, 2-0 Troy will host 1-1 Vandalia-Butler at 7 p.m. Thursday in a key MVL game.

You can reach Sports Editor Rob Kiser at [email protected]