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IRVING – Coach Steve Lineweaver said this year's Euless Trinity team wouldn't have the kind of size that scares anyone. But at Texas Stadium on Monday, Trinity was scary.

First, Trinity put a scare into its fans. By midway through the second quarter, John Curtis Christian of River Ridge, La., was winning, 6-0, and winning the Trinity way. John Curtis smashed the ball straight ahead, drove 87 yards and took 10 minutes off the clock.

"I've never seen an offense keep the ball that long," said Trinity running back Dontrayevous Robinson. "I was ready to get on the field."

When Trinity did get back on the field, it looked like the defending state champion that many expect to win another one. Trinity scored a touchdown before halftime to take the lead and held the ball for all but two minutes of the third quarter as it stretched its lead to two touchdowns.

Trinity was on its way to a 28-12 win. And it again looked like the kind of scary its fans expect.

"We've played some great teams in the past," said J.T. Curtis, son of the school's founder and the John Curtis coach since 1969, "and they certainly rank right up there."

Trinity probably should, considering it's No. 1 in the state poll and tops a couple of national rankings. But Trinity players and coaches downplayed those preseason rankings before the season began.

It's the kind of spotlight Trinity hasn't had to play in before. Trinity has won two state titles in the last three years and 41 of its last 44 games, but nearby Southlake Carroll was always the national darling.

This year, Trinity is the No. 1 target.

"We've got a big coat on our shoulders with the No. 1," said Robinson, who rushed for two touchdowns. "We just needed to throw that coat off and play Trinity football."

Trinity did that in the third quarter, when it drove for a pair of touchdowns and showed the passing ability that John Curtis couldn't match. John Curtis cut the lead to 21-12 midway through the fourth, but then Trinity did what it does best. It rushed nine straight times on a 70-yard TD drive that left less than a minute on the clock.

Trinity had worn down another opponent.

"We expected a physical game and that going into the fourth quarter it was going to be who was in better condition and who was going to give up first" Trinity linebacker Earnest Norman said.

John Curtis never gave up. But it didn't have Trinity's punch.

"Coach compared it to Ali-Frazier," said John Curtis running back Kenny Cain, referring to a classic boxing match. "Twelve rounds."

Trinity won most of them, proving again its heavyweight status.