WELDON SPRING – Francis Howell quarterback Adam Shipley did not exactly let Cameron Cason ease his way back into action.
Returning from a broken left hand suffered in the season opener, Cason went deep on the Vikings’ first offensive play, sprinted past his defender and watched as Shipley launched a pass in his direction.
“I saw it and I had to go get it,” Cason said.
Shipley threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns, including a pair of scoring strikes to Cason, as Francis Howell used the deep ball to defeat Troy 31-14 Friday at Howell Stadium.
Francis Howell (3-2), which got 100-yard receiving performances from both Cason and senior Jude James, had to wait patiently before unleashing its quick-strike offense.
Troy (2-3) opened the game with a 16-play, 80-yard drive that probed the perimeter of the Vikings’ defense. The Trojans used sweeps and option pitches to eat up 6 minutes and 30 seconds before senior quarterback Hunter Keene faked a jet sweep and darted up the middle for a 14-yard touchdown run.
It took only nine seconds for Shipley and Cason to connect on the tying touchdown pass.
“I thought, ‘Catch the ball and don’t get caught,’” Cason said.
Troy continued to churn up yards on its second possession. Using the field position provided by a 53-yard kickoff return by senior Shane Hopmann, the Trojans orchestrated a 10-play, 44-yard touchdown drive. It ended with Keene running right, spinning through a tackle and tapping the ball against the front pylon.
By the end of the first quarter, Troy had run 26 offensive plays to Francis Howell’s three and the Trojans led 14-7.
“We hang our hat on being able to run the football and we did a nice job of that right off the bat,” Troy coach Brett Wiggers said. “It was a really good start with the exception of the one big play.”
But the Francis Howell big plays were just beginning.
Facing a fourth-and-9 from the Troy 19-yard line, Shipley sought out Cason again. This time, instead of running past the defender, Cason outjumped him, making a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone to tie the score at 14.
“Single-receiver side, I was able to throw it up to Cam and he went and got it,” Shipley said.
Cason caught four passes, including the two, first half touchdowns. His only reception of the season prior to Friday occurred against Francis Howell North last week in limited playing time.
“He’s just so springy and fast. He’s a defensive back’s nightmare,” Francis Howell coach Brent Chojnacki said.
After Cason’s second touchdown grab, Chojnacki made the call that changed the flow of the game. A surprise onside kick perfectly executed by junior Braden Ray gave the Vikings the ball and momentum.
“It’s something we practiced all week. (Ray) is pretty special with what he can do kicking the ball. It was a perfect bounce and we fell on it,” Chojnacki said.
On the very next play, Shipley found senior Jude James on a deep post for a 48-yard touchdown.
“We thought we could take the top off (of the defense),” James said. “I was open, I saw it and I was ready to go get it.”
The onside kick recovery coupled with the immediate touchdown pass seemed to break the rhythm of the Troy offense, as the Trojans managed only seven total yards on their next four possessions.
“The surprise onside, from a momentum standpoint, was tough to recover from,” Wiggers said.
Midway through the third quarter, Shipley looked downfield and found senior Garrett Puckett behind the Troy secondary for a 46-yard bomb to increase the lead to 28-14.
“It felt really good to air it out. Just throw it as far as I can and let them go get it,” Shipley said.
In the fourth quarter, Troy put together another 16-play drive, but on fourth-and-10 from the Francis Howell 18-yard line, a pass from Keene to senior Myles Freeman gained only nine yards.
On the next play after the change of possession, Shipley launched a 42-yard pass that James high-pointed at midfield. It was the fourth completion of more than 40 yards for Shipley, who finished 10-of-13 for 277 yards and four touchdowns.
“Shipley is Shipley. There’s a reason why he was an all-state quarterback last year. He just keeps getting better week in, week out,” Chojnacki said.
Ray finished the scoring with a 38-yard field goal.
Francis Howell, the defending Class 5 state champion, endured its first two-game losing streak since 2018 earlier this month with losses to Jackson and Lutheran North.
The Vikings believe those setbacks will prove beneficial when the weather gets colder.
“It was rough. Those were really close games, heartbreaking losses,” Shipley said. “But losses make you better, and we’ll be better in the long run.”