By the time the Meadowview Trojans had executed their first offensive play, they were already down 15 points. Unfortunately for the homestanding Trojans, they weren’t able to overcome the deficit.

The Trojans fell in their season opener against the Sumter Eagles, 40-18, but through it all, Meadowview head coach Lebo Jones has some good things to take away from the loss.

“We were able to move the ball on offense and there were times when we were able to stop them on defense,” Jones said. “We simply could not overcome the mistakes, the turnovers.”

The turnovers were plenty for the Trojans as they recorded five fumbles, including two on kickoff returns. In each case, the fumble returns led to Eagle touchdowns, which further extended the Eagles’ lead and put the Trojans on their heels.

Overall, the Trojans were able to generate 309 yards of total offense, while the Eagles racked up 377 total yards, including 343 on the ground.

Leading the way for the Trojans was senior back Dylan Lawrence, who had a 44-yard touchdown reception from Seth Taylor in the first quarter and a 68-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Although trailing significantly in the second half, the offense with Taylor at quarterback and Lawrence in the backfield was able to drive on the Eagles.

But, with 6:15 left in the third quarter, Lawrence came up injured after being tackled, complaining of neck pains. He was pulled from the game and was kept out for the remainder of the contest as a precaution.

On the drive where Lawrence was injured, Taylor found Michael West on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter. It marked Taylor’s second touchdown pass of the night and closed the game to 34-18 Sumter.

Sumter would add a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to round out the scoring.

Lawrence finished the game with 123 yards rushing with one rushing touchdown and one touchdown reception. Taylor was the second leading rusher for the Trojans with 48 yards.

Taylor was 4-of-5 passing for 77 yards and two touchdowns.

The Trojans have a short week to recover and get ready for Morgan Academy on Thursday.