sports writer

PRESTON - Preston stood on the tracks while the train came through - that train was the Rigby Trojans Friday night.

The Indians took a beating in the second half of Preston's home opener, getting outscored 34-14 in the final half and eventually losing the game 41-29.

After a solid first half - Preston led 15-7 at the break - the Indians came out flat and allowed themselves to get run over for 24 minutes, causing head coach Shawn Marlow to question even the basics.

"We're still struggling with the absolute basics of football: toughness, being able to tackle, being able to block. Just the absolute basics of football we are still struggling with," Marlow said. "We've got to get better in a hurry."

The Indians did not have to guess what the Trojans were going to do, they did the same thing all night: give the ball to their two running backs.

Rigby only completed two passes - however, those two passes accounted for 70 yards and 14 points - and only two runners carried the ball for the Trojans, and the Indians had no answer.

Those two runners, Mitchell Trost (173 yards) and Toren Downie (133), combined for 306 yards, just 11 yards less than the entire Preston team.

"We just need to get a whole lot meaner and a whole lot tougher," Marlow said. "We've just to continue to improve. I just think our youth is starting to show, our lack of experience. We're three games into it, so that excuse isn't going to last much longer."