ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
In the end, Hesston Swather lightning proved more powerful than the rolling thunder of an effective Hillsboro Trojan ground attack. The Swathers prevailed, 38-12, in this year’s clash of intra-league rivals.
The first half of Friday’s game in Hesston wasn’t quite a perfect storm, but it ended as a standoff between two different styles of attack-the speed and quickness of Hesston that resulted in a couple of big plays, and the methodical, sustained drives of the Trojans
The favored Swathers, who brought a 4-2 mark against the 2-4 Trojans, struck first.
On the third play of Hesston’s first possession, running back Brandon Leichty gathered in a screen pass from quarterback Derrick Klassen and streaked 38 yards to the Trojan 12-yard line.
Three plays later, Leichty took a pitch from Klassen and flashed around left end for a four-yard touchdown. Mitch Mason’s kick made 7-0 just under four minutes into the game.
If the Trojans were stunned, they didn’t show it.
Starting at their own 25-yard, they rode the legs of running backs Lucas Hamm and Tim Funk all the way to the Swather 25 in 11 plays before Funk was stuffed for a one-yard loss on fourth-and-1.
Hillsboro came back to score on its next possession, though.
Starting at the Hillsboro 32, Trojan quarterback Derek Hamm connected with Ben Schaeffer for 15 yards, then Lucas Hamm swept the left end for a 12-yard gain as the first quarter ended.
Three plays later, facing fourth-and-2 at the Hesston 30, Funk swept the left end for the touchdown. Tyler Kaufman’s kick missed the mark, but the Trojans were within one at 7-6, less than a minute into the second period.
But Hesston’s quickness flashed again on its next possession when Klassen, facing fourth-and-2 at the Trojan 38, fired a quick pass to Hammond near the Swather sideline. The junior bolted past the Trojan defenders for the score.
Mason’s kick boosted Hesston’s lead to 14-6 with 9:45 left in the half.
Hillsboro then pieced together perhaps its best drive of the season, marching 74 yards in 12 plays. Lucas Hamm cashed in the touchdown from two yards out with 5:14 left in the half.
When Derek Hamm’s 2-point conversion pass missed its mark, the Trojans trailed by two, 14-12. The score remained the same at intermission after Mason’s 38-yard field-goal attempt just missed in the final seconds of the half.
Although the Swathers held the advantage on the scoreboard, the Trojans were the clear leaders on the stat sheet. Through two quarters, Lucas Hamm and Funk had combined for 142 rushing yards, easily the most productive half of the season for Hillsboro’s ground attack.
But Swather lightning struck a devastating blow at the start of the second half when Hammond returned the opening kickoff 66 yards to the Trojan 16.
Two plays later, Klassen found Kevin Rouhlac in the end zone for the 14-yard touchdown pass. Mason’s kick made it 21-12 less than two minutes into the half.
Stunned, Hillsboro went three-and-out on its next possession. The Swathers then drove from their own 44 to the Trojan 13 in nine plays.
Consecutive penalties contributed to a Swather fourth-and-17 at the 20, but that was close enough for Mason to nail a 37-yard field goal that boosted Hesston’s lead to 24-12 with 2:22 left in the third quarter.
To their credit, the Trojans didn’t roll over, driving from their own 29 to the Hesston 28 in 11 plays. But the drive ended on pair of incomplete passes on third and fourth down.
After a Hesston punt put the Trojans on their own 10-yard line, Swather lightning struck a fatal blow. On second-and-10, Klassen snagged a Derek Hamm pass and raced 28 yards with Hesston’s fourth touchdown of the night.
Mason’s kick made the score 31-12 with 7:14 left in the game.
The Swathers added one last score on a Leichty one-yard run late in the game, six plays after the Trojans tried unsuccessfully to go for a first down on a fourth-and-3 at their own 27-yard line.
Hillsboro threatened to narrow the 26-point margin in the waning moments, driving from its own 34 to the Hesston 15 in eight plays. But four straight incomplete passes in the final 30 seconds left the score unchanged.
Trojan coach Len Coryea said the final score was not indicative of the game or the effectiveness of his team’s play.
“I think you’re seeing a better football team now than you did three weeks ago,” Coryea said. “We fought, we moved the ball, we had yards. I’m proud of the guys.”
The Trojans outgained the Swathers on the ground, 211 yards to 108; Hesston had the advantage through the air, 136 yards to 88.
Funk enjoyed his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, running for 123 yards on 10 carries. Lucas Hamm finished with 68 yards on 19 carries.
Coryea took the blame for the Swathers’ final two scores, calling for the pass that was intercepted and returned for the touchdown, and going for a first down deep in his own territory on fourth down.
Playing their district opener, the Trojans needed a big play and had little to lose.
“When you’re down, you’ve got try,” he said. “But I gave them those last two scores.”
The loss drops Hillsboro’s overall record to 2-5 overall and a final 1-3 mark in the Central Division of the Mid-Central Activities Association.
More important, the Trojans are 0-1 in district play. They’ll need to win against Marion (5-2) on Friday to have any realistic chance of moving on to post-season play.
Game time at Reimer Field will be 7 p.m.
