‘New’ Hillsboro rolls to 35-0 win in football opener

The legacy of a winless season in 2015 was buried quickly and impressively on opening night 2016. The young and inexperienced Trojans of a year ago put on a show of determination and ultimately domination in a 35-0 victory over Lyons in the season opener Friday at Joel Wiens Stadium.

The Trojans, under first-year coach Devin Metzinger, came out ready from the start. Overcoming a lost fumble five plays into their opening drive, the Trojan defense hunkered down and forced a Lyons turnover on downs after only four plays.

Regaining possession after a Lyons punt rolled to the Trojan 7-yard line, Hills­boro lost three yards on its first play. Now in the shadow of their own end zone, sophomore running back Brooks Gardner took off for 36 yards, and Jorge Hanschu followed with consecutive runs of 24 yards each to give the Trojans a first down at Lyons’ 12. A facemask penalty against Lyons moved the ball to the 7-yard line, where Gardner broke through the middle of the defense for Hillsboro’s first score with 6:20 left in the first quarter. Jeffrey Jorgen­son’s point-after kick made it 7-0.

Lyons went four-and-out on its next possession, including a shanked punt that gave the Trojans the football at the Lyons 29-yard line. Hanschu fumbled on the Trojans’ first play, with Lyons recovering at the Lions’ 30-yard line. But eight plays later, Jorgenson intercepted a Lyons pass at the Hillsboro 40 and raced down the far sideline for a 60-yard score. He then added the extra-point kick for a 14-0 lead with 58 second left in the opening quarter.

Another Lyons punt gave Hillsboro possession at the Trojan 35-yard line with 11:48 left in the first half. Six plays and a personal-foul penalty later, junior quarterback Kaden Kleiner passed to his 6-foot-3 senior receiver Jacob Funk across the middle for a 6-yard touchdown. Jorgen­son’s kick made it 21-0 with 9:52 left in the half.

Another four-and-out for Lyons gave Hillsboro the ball again at the Trojan 45-yard line. Three plays later, Hanschu cut left and ran 39 yards to the end zone at the 7:16 mark. Jorgenson’s kick made it 28-0.

The Lions then put together their most consistent drive of the night, starting at their own 27-yard line and moving to the Trojan 49 in nine plays before being forced to punt once more.

Hillsboro took over at its 30, then marched 70 yards in 11 plays with Kleiner sneaking into the end zone from one yard out for a 35-0 lead with 11 seconds left in the half.

By league rule, a 35-point lead meant a running clock the entire second half. Neither team managed a serious scoring threat during the fast-paced half as the game clock wound down for a Trojan victory.

Next week, the 1-0 Tro­jans will travel to Kingman in search of their second win.

 

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