Smoky Valley took the opening kickoff and marched 72 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead.

Hillsboro got a break early in the second quarter when Viking quarterback Chase Dippel fumbled while running from six yards for an apparent score. The Trojans recovered the ball in the end zone and took possession on the 20.

But two plays later, Hillsboro running back Jacob Yoder fumbled, Smoky Valley recovered on the Trojan 19 and scored in three plays with Dippel scoring from a yard out. The kick made it 14-0 with 7:54 left in the half.

After Spencer Brown was intercepted on Hillsboro’s next possession, the Vikings drove 55 yards in eight plays with Eric Hawk scoring from 14 yards out. Dippel’s pass to Hawk made it 22-0 with 4:13 left in the half.

The Trojans faked a punt on an apparent three-and-out possession, picked up a first down on a run by Brown, then scored on the next play when Brown connected with Yoder for a 61-yard touchdown pass. Brown’s kick made it 22-7 with 2:25 left in the half.

Fans who hoped the touchdown would ignite a sometimes listless Trojan team were disappointed.

The Vikings scored on their first possession of the second half, then scored again after a short Hillsboro punt to build the lead to 34-7 with 2:24 left in the third period.

Yoder scored on a couple of play-for-pride touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the final margin more respectable.

The loss drops Hillsboro to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the MCAA Central Division while Smoky Valley improved to 5-1 and 4-1.