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The Troy Trojans opened their 2026 football season Friday night with a hard-fought battle against the Montoursville Warriors, but ultimately fell just short, 26-19.

The Trojans struck first late in the opening quarter. With just eight seconds remaining, Spencer Martin faked the man in motion before finding Logunn Heasley over the middle for a touchdown. Gavin Lykon-Leffler added the extra point to give Troy an early 7-0 lead.

Montoursville answered in the second quarter. On third-and-short, Elijah Eck recovered a high snap and kept the ball himself, racing into the end zone to tie the game at 7-7.

Troy’s defense then came up with a big play near the goal line, forcing a safety and putting the Trojans back in front, 9-7.

The Warriors regained the lead late in the first half when Eck followed his blockers through a large opening for another touchdown.

Troy responded immediately on the ensuing kickoff. Josiah Pesesky scooped up the ball and raced through the Montoursville coverage unit for a touchdown. Lykon-Leffler’s extra point put the Trojans ahead 16-13 with 40 seconds remaining in the half.

Montoursville, however, answered with a quick scoring drive of its own. On third-and-one in the red zone, Eck faked a pass before finding running room on the left side and scoring his third touchdown of the half. The Warriors took a 20-16 advantage into halftime.

Montoursville added another touchdown in the second half to extend its lead to 26-16.

Troy continued to fight back late in the third quarter when Lykon-Leffler connected on a long pass to keep the Trojans within striking distance.

Neither team was able to find the end zone in the fourth quarter, however, as both defenses held firm. Montoursville’s defense preserved the 26-19 victory to spoil Troy’s season opener.

Despite the loss, the Trojans showed plenty of fight in a game that remained competitive until the final whistle.

Troy will look to bounce back Friday when the Trojans return home to host the Athens Wildcats.