HHS football: Trojans to begin district play
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports Writer
The good news for the Hillsboro Trojans is that they can put everything bad behind them and focus on district play at 7 p.m. Friday when they host county foe Marion.
The Warriors currently have a two-game winning streak over Hillsboro, but Marion Coach Grant Thierolf and his young team are struggling this season at 2-4.
Marion stumbles into Friday's game losing two straight, including getting edged at home Friday, 35-34, by Lyons.
The Trojans (4-2) lost their second game of the season, 14-13 to Smoky Valley, in a defensive battle between two equally matched teams. A blocked extra point and a late turnover allowed the Vikings (5-1) to come from behind to win.
The Trojans had a chance to take the lead in the first quarter when the Vikings bobbled the snap on a punt on their first drive, giving Hillsboro the ball at the Viking 19. But for the first time this year, the Trojans were unable to get the ball in the end zone the first quarter, unable to convert on fourth down.
The Trojans didn't have a first down until there was under 6:00 left in the first half. With the Vikings up, 7-0, after Dumars slipped through the Hillsboro defense for a 20-yard touchdown, the Trojans were quick to respond, storming 69 yards in 11 plays to tie the score at the half.
The score was deadlocked at 7-7 through the third period. Jacob Yoder broke the tie with a 13-yard touchdown run with 11:53 left in the game. The point-after attempt failed, however, as Vikings defenders crashed through the line and blocked Tyler Kaufman's kick.
Hillsboro stopped a Smoky Valley drive on the 16, and took control of the ball, needing only to keep possession and run out the clock to win.
With 3:30 left in the game, the Trojans found themselves backed up at their own 16, on third down and long.
Trojan junior quarterback Spencer Brown floated a pass right to Viking defender Mark Bengston. The interception set up what proved to be the game-winning touchdown, a 4-yard run from Michael Dumars.
"I just made a bad call," Coryea said. "I shouldn't have done that. I told them (the team) I take full responsibility for it. The kids played hard, though. It was a good game."
Bengston put the Vikings up, 14-13, with the extra point attempt, but the Trojans still had 2:02 left in the game.
Any chance of a Trojan comeback came crashing down on second-and-8 when Bengston intercepted his second pass of the night, allowing the Vikings to run out the clock.
Defensively, spearheaded by Lucas Hamm's nine solo tackles and 15 assisted, the Trojans held the Vikings to a season-low 181 yards.
Linebacker and defensive leader Adam Dirks went down late in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return.
Smoky Valley held Hillsboro to a season-low 102 yards rushing and 138 yards total offense. Yoder had 70 yards on 17 carries.
After the bitter defeat, Coryea looked ahead to Marion and the rest of the schedule, saying, "The season starts over next week. We'll go lick our wounds, and patch up some mental healing.
"I think everybody played as hard as we're going to play."
