ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DR
Hillsboro battled No. 1 ranked Conway Springs all night, but just did not have enough weapons to pull the upset. The final score in Saturday’s regional championship game at Reimer Field was 28-7.
Featuring their unorthodox wing-T offense, the Cardinals scored on their second possession of the night-an 86-yard, 13-play drive. Darrin Seiwert scored from a yard out and Jason Benge added the extra point for the 7-0 lead with 1:25 left in the first quarter.
The Cardinals orchestrated an 11-play, 68-yard drive on their next possession, scoring on a 7-yard run by Matt Wykes. Benge’s extra point made it 14-0 with 6:29 left in the half. Neither team scored again before intermission.
After the Trojans forced Conway to punt after four plays to start the third quarter, they gave the ball right back to them when Alan Yoder fumbled on the Trojans’ first play from scrimmage.
The Cardinals scored quickly on a 20-yard run by Wykes and then a 17-yard gallop by Seiwert for the touchdown. The extra point made it 21-0 less than three minutes into the quarter.
After the two teams traded possessions, the Trojans pieced together a scoring drive of their own. Starting from their own 37, Kris Jones rans for 15 yards, and then Dustin Jost hit Caleb Marsh with a 26-yard pass to the 22. On the next play, Jones swept the left end and scored for Hillsboro. Marsh’s extra point made the score 21-7 with 3:46 left in the quarter.
But Conway put together on more relentless drive, starting from their own 14. They scored 13 plays later on a 35-yard run by Benge with 10:09 left in the game.
Hillsboro did not fold, however. Starting at their own 22, the Trojans drove down the field, fueled by four pass completions, and had a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line after 15 plays. The Trojans ran three running plays, but could not punch it in. On fourth down., Jost threw to an open Brodie Unrau in the end zone, but the ball bounced off Unrau’s chest and the Cardinals took over and ran out the clock.
With the loss, Hillsboro finishes the season with a 6-5 mark. They tied for the Mid Division championship in the MCAA and won the bi-district championship after finishing as the runnerup in their own district.
Conway Springs ends Hillsboro’s season, 28-7
