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Baylor Survives Trinity Rally for 35-27 Win: Tennessee vs. Kentucky High School Football

Two of the nation's top private-school football programs collided with Baylor holding off a late rally by Trinity in a battle of two national Top 25 powers.
Kendall Webb|
Baylor school students show their spirit ahead of kickoff spelling out "BAYLOR" prior to the Red Raiders 2025 semifinal round game vs McCallie. The Red Raiders have emerged as a contender for the national title headed into their Friday night contest at Kentucky powerhouse Trinity.
Baylor school students show their spirit ahead of kickoff spelling out "BAYLOR" prior to the Red Raiders 2025 semifinal round game vs McCallie. The Red Raiders have emerged as a contender for the national title headed into their Friday night contest at Kentucky powerhouse Trinity. | Jay Pace/HighSchoolOnSI

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Baylor overcame a sluggish first half, erupting for 21 third-quarter points before holding off a late Trinity rally for a 35-27 win Friday night at Marshall Stadium.

The host Shamrocks bottled up Baylor's explosive offense and five-star running back David Gabriel-Georges for most of the first half. After falling behind 7-0 on a 6-yard touchdown run by the future Tennessee Volunteer, Trinity eventually pulled ahead with two second-quarter touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.

But Baylor's big-play offense came out firing early in the second half, trimming the deficit to 14-13 when Gabriel-Georges finally announced his arrival. On a run straight through the middle of the Shamrocks' defense, he found daylight behind the defensive line, cut toward the right sideline and went house-hunting 75 yards to the end zone.

The Red Raiders eventually extended their lead to 35-14 before taking their foot off the gas. A Trinity touchdown with 5:26 remaining cut the deficit to 35-20. Then, with just over a minute to play, the Shamrocks scored again to make it 35-27.

Trinity then executed a perfect onside kick to retain possession, setting up at midfield. A pass interference penalty against Baylor moved the ball to the 35-yard line, but Trinity's quarterback made an ill-advised throw on a play where he had room to run. Baylor intercepted the pass, seemingly ending the threat.

And yet, somehow, it still wasn't over.

Trinity's defense quickly forced a Baylor punt, giving the Shamrocks possession at their own 42-yard line with 28 seconds remaining. Trinity moved to the Baylor 30 before the Red Raiders called their final timeout with four seconds left, setting up the defense for a Hail Mary attempt.

Baylor's defense then batted down the final pass to preserve the victory.

Trinity's defense played well against Gabriel-Georges, but the five-star running back still produced a signature moment with his 75-yard touchdown run. The play showcased his combination of quickness, vision and speed as he created space in the hole, split the linebackers and accelerated toward the sideline before outrunning the Shamrocks' defense to the end zone.

Meanwhile, Marshall Manning, Baylor's backup quarterback and the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, was inactive again as he continues to recover from a foot injury.

Next up for Baylor is a home date next Friday against CPA of Nashville. Trinity will host crosstown rival Male that same night.

If you missed our live-blog, you can still catch up with some of the highlights from the game below.

FINAL — Baylor 35, Trinity 27

Baylor knocks down the last-gasp Hail Mary to the end zone, and this one is in the books. The first half wasn't what we expected, but the second half delivered.

Baylor uses its final timeout to try to get organized and prevent a disaster here. If Trinity scores, they'll have to convert the two-pointer to extend the game to overtime.

Down to the Baylor 30 with four seconds remaining. They need a miracle here.

17 seconds left, they're just inside Baylor territory.

Amazingly, Trinity is going to get one more chance after using their timeouts and forcing a fourth down. Only 28 seconds to play from their own 42.

Trinity's quarterback with an ill-advised throw on a scramble around right. He had room to run, and he'd like to have that one back because Baylor gets the interception to likely seal the deal here.

Baylor called for interference, and Trinity moves to the Red Raiders' 35.

1:07 to play, they start at the 50.

Trinity recovers the onside kick!

Baylor 35, Trinity 27

With just over a minute to play, Trinity has at least made this interesting. They score on a quick drive on a 15-yard touchdown strike. The PAT is good, and they've got this back to eight points.

Baylor 35, Trinity 20

Trinity says 'not so fast,' scoring on a long play to trim it back to two touchdowns. Still 5:26 to play, so we won't write the epitaph just yet.

Baylor 35, Trinity 14

Baylor adds a touchdown, and with about seven to play, it looks like the Tennesseans are going to head back to Chattanooga with another big win.

The fourth quarter is under way.

THIRD QUARTER — Baylor 28, Trinity 14

Baylor 28, Trinity 14

Baylor with another long touchdown run, and this time they convert the two-pointer. The Red Raiders have come out firing on all cylinders in the second half. One minute to play in the third.

This is what Tennessee Volunteer fans are looking forward to in the years to come:

Just under six minutes to play in the third quarter. It's been a competitive game, but Trinity has to come up with an answer at home.

Baylor 20, Trinity 14

On Baylor's next possession, Gabriel-George takes it 75 yards to the house. The PAT is good, and it's 20-14 Baylor.

Trinity 14, Baylor 13

Baylor comes out and quickly sets the tone for the second half with a touchdown to even things up in the Derby City. Check that, it appears they missed the PAT.

HALFTIME — Trinity 14, Baylor 7

A competitive first half comes to a close with Trinity leading 14-7. We were expecting maybe more offensive fireworks, but it's the defenses that came to play in the first half.

Trinity 14, Baylor 7

Just under four to play, and Trinity has mostly shut down Baylor's big offense. Not only that, they add a short touchdown run to take its first lead of the night.

Baylor 7, Trinity 7

Trinity with a big play on offense to even this game up at 7-all.

Another highlight of David Gabriel-Georges:

FIRST QUARTER — Baylor 7, Trinity 0

And the first quarter is officially in the books. Baylor still leading Trinity 7-0.

On a fourth down, Trinity is able to come up with a stop with its back to the wall. They take over as the first quarter begins to wind down.

Baylor on the march again now approaching the red zone.

Baylor 7, Trinity 0

Another view of the touchdown here:

After another change of possession, David Gabriel-Georges gets Baylor on the board with a 6-yard run. The PAT is good, and it's 7-0.

Baylor is also forced to punt, but so far, they've had Trinity pinned deep in its own territory on these first two possessions.

It's a three and out for Trinity to start, and Baylor takes over near its own 40.

They're about to take the field in Louisville. The current conditions are a relatively comfortable 79 degrees with sunshine, but AccuWeather does list the potential for thunderstorms. For now, it looks like good weather for kickoff.

We're sneaking up on kickoff in Louisville, Ky. We'll check in on the weather in the Louisville area a little closer to kickoff. Stay tuned!

Who: Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)
When: Friday, Sept. 11 - 7 p.m. ET
Where: Marshall Stadium, Trinity High School, Louisville, Ky.

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Kendall Webb
KENDALL WEBB

Kendall began covering high school sports in East Texas as a high school student in the late 1980s. He served as the sports editor for the Gladewater Mirror early in his career while attending Kilgore College where he received an Associate of Arts with a major in journalism. He later completed his Bachelor of Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin. Webb later founded the College Football America Yearbook, publishing an annual edition every year from 2011 through 2022. Webb added a Master of Liberal Arts with a major in journalism from Harvard University in 2023, simultaneously completing a Graduate Certificate in Digital Storytelling. He has also written for The Sporting News and remains a passionate fan of sports at all levels. He began contributing to High School On SI in 2026.

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