ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DR
A team that deserved some breaks created a few Tuesday night as the Hillsboro Trojans defeated Riley County on the road, 27-20, to win the bi-district championship.
Senior Kris Jones played the game of his life, scoring three touchdowns and setting up the fourth on a key pass reception.
This win didn’t come easily, though.
Led by their athletic quarterback Jordy Nelson, the Falcons looked to be on their way to a convincing win in the early going. Nelson scored from 36 yards out on the Falcons’ first possession and then scored again from four yards out in the second quarter to fuel a 14-0 lead. By intermission, he had rolled up 184 of his teams 197 rushing yards.
But the Trojans did not roll over. In fact, they stood up and made some good things happen. The first break came when Caleb Marsh intercepted a Nelson pass to give the Trojans the ball at the Riley 24. Three plays later, Dustin Jost hit Jones with a pass near the goal line and Jones broke through for a 23-yard touchdown. Marsh’s extra point made it 14-7 with 4:43 left before intermission.
The Falcons then fumbled the kickoff and James Bina recovered the ball for Hillsboro at the Falcon 17. Three plays later, Jost connected with Jones again on a key third-down play to give the Trojans first-and-goal at the 6. Jost scored two plays later. Marsh’s kick tied the game at 14 with 2:04 to go.
The Trojans grabbed the lead early in the third quarter when Jost hit Jones once more. Jones raced in for the score down the left sideline, this time from 40 yards out. Marsh’s kick made it 21-14.
Riley County struck back on the strength of Nelson’s elusive running skills to score on an 11-play drive. Nelson capped it with a 2-yard run. Mysteriously, the Falcons opted for the 2-point conversion instead of kicking for the tie. This time Nelson was stopped as he tried to sweep the right side. Hillsboro still led, 21-20.
On their next possession, the Trojans started at their own 28 and marched down the field. On the 10th play of the drive, Jones swept the left end for a 13-yard touchdown. Marsh missed the extra point, but it was 27-20, Hillsboro, with 3:20 to go in the third quarter.
After Jost was intercepted at the Riley 17 to halt another solid drive, the Falcons started yet another drive in the other direction. But with the Falcons on the Trojan 24, Nelson lost the handle on the ball and Brian Thiessen recovered it for Hillsboro with 1:37 to play. Hillsboro, helped but two more key runs by Jones, picked up two first downs and ran out the clock for the win.
The Trojans, now 6-4 on the season, will play Conway Springs (9-0) on Saturday evening at Reimer Field. Conway Springs, the No. 1 team in Class 3A, clobbered Marion, 42-0, in its bi-district game.
Hillsboro upsets Riley County, 27-20
