Hillsboro High broke open a close game with three second-quarter touchdowns on the way to an explosive 48-13 win at Haven Friday night.
Hillsboro trailed 7-6 after one quarter, having scored on its first possession of the game with Jacob Yoder running in from 15 yards out. The PAT kick missed the mark.
Haven then marched 70 yards on 10 plays with quarterback Byron Nienstedt rolling in from 12 yards out. Freddie Jordan kicked the extra point for the 7-6 lead.
An interception by Hillsboro?s Isaac Leihy late in the first quarter proved to be a turning point in the contest. Hillsboro took over at its own 35 and scored four plays later when Spencer Brown raced the final 26 yards to paydirt with 10:57 left in the half. His 2-point conversion pass was incomplete, but Hillsboro led 12-7.
Two plays later, Hillsboro recovered a Haven fumble, giving the Trojans the ball on the Haven 39-yard line. Yoder scored four plays later from five yards out and Leihy?s kick found the mark for a 19-7 lead with 8:14 left in the half. It was Hillsboro?s first successful PAT of the season after seven unsuccessful attempts.
Five plays later, Brown intercepted a Nienstedt pass and raced about 55 yards for a touchdown with 5:47 left in the half. Leihy?s kick made it 26-7, which turned out to be the halftime margin.
Hillsboro then took the second-half kickoff and marched 74 yards in nine plays with Ishmael Morris scoring the TD from three yards out. The kick was blocked, but Hillsboro led 32-7 with 7:31 left in the third quarter.
Two plays later, Haven scored when Trevor Ukens broke loose for a 50-yard TD scamper. The kick missed the mark, making the score 32-13.
But after Hillsboro recovered Haven?s onside kick, Brown connected with a wide open Daniel Jost on the first play from scrimmage for a 50-yard touchdown. The PAT missed the mark, but Hillsboro?s lead was 38-13.
After taking over from Haven on downs, Morris scored Hills?boro?s final TD off the night when he ran in from 23 yards out with 4:04 left in the third period. A successful kick made it 45-13.
Brown nailed a 27-yard field goal in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to round out the scoring — and also kick in the continuous-clock rule for the rest of the game.
With the win, Hillsboro improves to 1-1 for the season and in the MCAA Central Division, while Haven dropped to 0-2 and 0-2.
