Murtha had Titans football ready to play amidst tragedy

Last night's Section 5 AAAAA playoff game between Tartan and Hastings had a somber atmosphere at McNamara Stadium in Hastings.

The Hastings community received word of a Hastings student that committed suicide earlier in the day.  That came as the second death among the student body this fall.

Tartan football coach Tim Murtha had his team ready to face Hastings challenges amidst the tragedy as they also looked to win their first game since September.

"We were conscious of being respectful of their grief," Murthasaid.  "Unfortunately, this is the sort of tragedy that can befall any school.  We just tried to stay focused on our responsibilities.  There is a learning moment here, that there are some things in life more important than football."

The Titans came out focused with an 82-yard touchdown run by Keenen Bellaphant.  He had 153 yards rushing in the game. 

Points kept coming the Titans' way as their special teams caught a safety when Hastings' punt team had a snap go out of the end zone.  Derek Zuniga then put the Titans up 15-0 in the first quarter with a 46-yard run.

Brandon McCarthy had the loan score for Hastings with a three-yard TD.  The Raiders have also had five interceptions and Deonte Fourte ran one back for 70 yards.  The Titans advanced to the next round with a 22-6 victory.

"I believe we were very focused," Murtha said.  "It was a deeply disappointing loss to North last week, and our players responded by having a very good week of practice, and that translated onto the field at Hastings."

The Titans (3-6) will play at East Ridge (4-4) next on Saturday at 3 p.m. 

"We expect a very physical football game with the team making the fewest mistakes winning," Murtha said.