When the clock hit 0:00, the 11 Mendota players on the field went running and jumping toward the Trojans’ sideline as their teammates and coaches ran in to meet them.

The Trojans had just held on for a 14-10 victory over Sherrard in a Three Rivers Conference Mississippi Division game in Sherrard to snap a 16-game losing streak.

“It feels great,” said Mendota senior Corbin Furar, who scored both the team’s touchdowns. “Losing 16 games, to win this one just feels awesome. It was a good team win. I’m so excited for my team and coaches, and I’m so thankful.”

It was Mendota’s first win since beating Riverdale 35-14 on Sept. 20, 2023.

“Back on Jan. 13, when I accepted the job, I told myself then that when it does happen, just to take it all in and look at all the faces of the players,” first-year Mendota coach Jim Eustice said. “It’s pretty emotional, especially for some of our coaches who are alumni. We’ve been doing everything the right way. It was just a matter of either not making the mistakes anymore or not making as many as the other team. We still made too many mistakes, and those have to get corrected, but we have a win.

“I’m hoping the kids will believe a little more, and we’ll see where it goes now. It’s a great feeling for me, but I know it’s an even better feeling for these seniors. It’s a great feeling for everybody involved.”

The Trojans trailed 10-7 at halftime but took the lead early in the second half.

Sherrard fumbled on its first play of the third quarter, and Mendota senior Aden Tillman pounced on it, giving the Trojans possession at the Tiger 25-yard line.

Five plays later, Furar ran for an 8-yard touchdown that gave Mendota a 14-10 lead after the extra point by Ethan Escatel.

“We talked about not letting them eat a lot of clock, and to get that turnover was huge,” Eustice said. “And then to be able to punch it in was huge. That was a heck of a run by Corbin.”

From there, the Mendota defense came up big.

The Trojans forced a three-and-out on Sherrard’s ensuing drive, and after Mendota threw an interception, the Trojans got a stop on fourth down.

Sherrard’s offense got a boost for its final drive in the fourth quarter when quarterback/running back Carter Brown returned to the lineup after being suspended for the first three quarters following an ejection last week.

He made an immediate impact as he ran for 39 yards on his second play on offense.

The Tigers drove down to the Mendota 3-yard line. Two false start penalties pushed the Tigers into a third-and-goal from the 12. Brown ran for 7 yards to set up fourth-and-goal from the 5 with 1:40 left. Mendota called a timeout before the play.

Brown dropped back to pass, and the pass sailed over his intended receiver, who was covered by Tillman.

“We thought Brown was going to roll out and he did,” Eustice said. “We made sure we were in the right coverage for that. The kids have to make the play, and fortunately, we made the stand. What a great feeling.”

The Trojans had two kneel-downs and a 3-yard gain to run out the clock.

Mendota had a strong start to the game after receiving the opening kickoff, which Adrian Arteaga returned to the Sherrard 40.

After an incompletion on the first play, Furar broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run just 25 seconds into the game.

“I saw the hole my linemen made,” Furar said. “They’re improving and getting good. I’ll do my job when they do theirs.

“It was awesome (to start strong). Our confidence was high. Obviously, we slowed down a little bit, but we bounced back and came out with the victory.”

The Trojans (1-4, 1-2 TRC Mississippi) play Kewanee (0-5, 0-3) next week.