Hillsboro loses lead, drops 31-30 OT thriller years ago
Panthers deny Trojan rookies in season opener
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
In just one year in Hillsboro, Trojan quarterback Spencer Brown had a big hand in pulling off an overtime miracle. Last year, he found Jake Yoder for a two-point conversion to top Cheney and sent the Trojans into the elite eight of the 3A state playoffs.
This time, Brown and the Trojans were on the short end of a 31-30 overtime game in Friday night's season opener at Nickerson.
The potential game-clinching two-point conversion was denied when the Panthers stopped Brown short of the goal line.
With a line that averages 187 pounds — nearly 20 under last year's average of 206, Hillsboro will be giving up a lot of size to opponents just as they did against the bigger, older Panthers.
A team reminiscent of last year's Trojan team with a potent backfield, Nickerson bulldozed its way over the, younger, smaller Trojan defense, punishing Hillsboro for 378 yards of offense off carries. Most of them came from McConnell and Weston Cottrell, who combined for four of the Panthers' five scores and 294 yards — a good portion coming right through the middle.
"We got into that push and shove match and they're big," a frustrated Trojan coach Len Coryea said. "We knew we were going to have to fight through that. I just knew with their offense, they'd push. Their offense is hard to stop."
The Panthers were fighting to push their way back into the game when Clay McConnell slipped into the end zone with :23 left to tie the game at 24-24.
Hillsboro snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory right after the tying touchdown with Brown going long for a covered Daniel Jost. What would have been the winning 60-yard score came back instead with the Trojans having an ineligible receiver down the field, forcing the game to overtime.
Jake Yoder tied the game again at 30-30 in OT, scoring his fourth touchdown, this one from two, as part of a career- and game-high 186-yard night and 292-yard performance running the ball.
The Trojans sadly found out just how much Tyler Kaufman will be missed with extra-point attempts thwarting Hillsboro's chances to make it a two-score game late. Without a reliable kicker such as Kaufman, the Trojans missed all four of their two-point conversion attempts.
"It looked like a first game for new kids," Coryea said. "Our pass routes didn't get run right, our formations, those are all first game mistakes by rookie kids. Our effort, outstanding, I'm just disappointed. Even that last play we missed the fake, that play got busted from the beginning, we missed everything right there. We've got to show posture and dignity."
The Trojans face another road game Friday, traveling to Haven for a 7 p.m. start. The Wildcats opened the season getting trampled 43-7 by Smoky Valley.
