Hillsboro?s play against a tough Smoky Valley football team in Lindsborg Friday night was about as off-and-on as the rain showers all evening long. In the end, the Trojans absorbed a 44-22 soaking.
Hillsboro came out shaky, with quarterback Jacob Fish throwing an interception on the second play of the game. The Vikings scored two plays later on a 20-yard run by Devin Gfeller not even 1:30 into the contest.
Gfeller scored his second touchdown and ran in a 2-point conversion for Smoky Valley with 1:28 left in the quarter to push the Viking lead to 14-0.
Hillsboro started its next possession with a bad snap and 10-yard loss on the first play, then Fish fumbled away the football on the second play. Three plays Gfeller was in the end zone again and the Vikings led 20-0 seven seconds into the second period.
Hillsboro finally came to life when Ishmael Morris ran the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown. He then caught a 2-point pass from Fish to make the scored 20-8.
After Daniel Jost intercepted a Chase Dippel pass to give HHS the ball at the Smoky Valley 40, the Trojans marched into the end zone again to cut the lead to 20-16 after Fish threw to Tyler Jones for the 2-point conversion.
That proved to be Hillsboro?s last hurrah as the Vikings scored two more times in the second quarter to establish a 36-16 cushion at halftime.
Smoky pushed the lead to 44-16 with 8:23 left in the third quarter before Hillsboro added a 78-yard touchdown run by Morris with 26 seconds left in the third quarter to make the score 44-22.
A scoreless fourth quarter dropped the Trojans to 1-1 for the year while the Vikings improved to 2-0.
Hillsboro will travel to Ellinwood next Friday, which will be the third of four straight road games to open the season.