The 3rd best football in the last decade for the Shamrocks was a showdown with Male last year late in the tournament. Despite cold weather, the Rocks started off hot and led 20-7 going into halftime. As Trinity came back out for the second half, they gradually saw their lead deteriorate. With a little over five minutes in the fourth quarter, Male scored to go up 34-31. Although the Rocks were under pressure, they did not buckle. The Rocks scored with 2:40 left in the game to go ahead 34-38. Coming down to the last drive, Male managed to get within easy scoring position inside the 10-yard line. The last 16.5 seconds of the game were the longest of any game. Male failed to put it into the end zone on their first two attempts. The second attempt was a pass in the back of the end zone which Bobby Petrino batted down. Time stood still, leaving .6 seconds left on the clock. Male could win the game on the last play but was stopped just short of the goal line by Agyei Williams. “Somehow we found a way to win,” head coach Bob Beatty said. Trinity won 34-38 and went on to win state over the Ryle Raiders. No. 2 Just falling short of the best game in the last decade was the battle with St. Xavier in the state championship in 2005. Although the Rocks suffered a crushing defeat to St. X in the annual regular-season game 48-16, they managed to put it in the past and win out the rest of their games. Going into the final game against St. X, the Rock faithful were skeptical. “No one gave us a chance,” Beatty said. The Tigers were first on the board when Vic Anderson found the end zone on a short scamper from inside the 10-yard line. Shortly after the touchdown, Trinity blocked the PAT. “We just needed to make a play,” Beatty said. Before the Rocks went to the locker room at halftime, they managed to go ahead on a boot to the right when quarterback Nick Petrino found Eric Senn in the back corner of the end zone. After completing the PAT, the Rocks went into halftime leading 7-6. Coming back out with great momentum, Trinity put seven more points on the board when Petrino had a breakout run into the end zone for about 40 yards. After that, the Rocks never looked back as Dane Spoelker stopped Anderson on fourth down on the one-yard line, short of the end zone and short of the first down. Trinity held on to win when Petrino got a first down to seal it. “No one believed,” Beatty said. Petrino took a final knee and the Rocks won state over the Tigers 14-6. No. 1 The best game within the last 10 years was the 2002 battle between two titans. Trinity vs. Male. Brohm vs. Bush. Michael Bush led the Male Bulldogs all season as he won Mr. Football in the state of Kentucky in 2002. In the bitter coldness of the night, defense was nearly nonexistent; the two teams battled and put up point after point. “It was like a 15-round heavyweight fight,” Beatty said. “We just had to come back out for another round.” With Brohm leading the offense in the final drive, they put the final points on the board when Norb Elbert found the end zone for a one-yard run on fourth down. The Rocks held Male within 10 yards of the end zone when Brian Smith intercepted Michael Bush’s pass. Although the Rocks stopped the Bulldogs, they were still backed up to their own end zone. Trinity got a clutch first down and Brohm took the final knee, this time to take home the trophy. “It was a roller coaster,” Beatty said. Trinity beat Male 59-56 for the 2002 state title in a game that went down as one of the greatest in Kentucky High School history. Brohm won Mr. Football in 2003 and joined Bush at the University of Louisville in 2004.