Hillsboro runs winning streak
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports Writer
If Trojan football coach Len Coryea was leery of last week's opponent, the Sterling Black Bears, he's likely to be sweating bullets heading into Friday's game against the Smoky Valley Vikings.
While Coryea's teams are 1-1 against the Vikings in the past two seasons, Hillsboro barely bested them in a 13-12 nail-biter last fall.
After a three-year hiatus, legendary Viking coach Gary Sandbo is back, and Smoky Valley is looking for some payback for last year when the teams line up at 7 p.m.
Both Hillsboro and Smoky Valley enter the game with 4-1 records, with each team losing to Wichita Collegiate.
At the homecoming game on Friday, Hillsboro got a game-high 121 yards and three TDs from senior running back Michael Suderman, hammering Sterling, 46-6.
With the victory, the Trojans run their winning streak to 12 games against the Black Bears.
"I was real happy," said Coryea. "We played hard for a long time. We had to play the whole third quarter, our stamina is fine."
The Trojans opened the game by fumbling the ball at their own 13. Moments later, Sterling was ahead 6-0 after a one-yard score from Joey Stromberg.
"It was a tough test," Coryea said. "We gave them six. We didn't panic, but my stomach was panicked."
Not to worry, coach.
It wouldn't happen again.
Suderman capped off the next Trojan possession with an eight-yard touchdown run, and the homecoming beating began as Hillsboro exploded for 46 unanswered points.
It was a Hillsboro highlight reel. Besides hauling in four catches for a game-high 77 yards, Troy Frick intercepted a Sterling pass and took it 35 yards for a touchdown barely 1:30 into the second half.
Junior quarterback Spencer Brown had a hand in three touchdowns, running for scores of two- and 66-yards, and passing to Lucas Hamm for a 44-yard bomb.
Jacob Yoder carried seven times for 64 yards with a touchdown being called back for holding.
Defensively, after he ran over Marion two weeks ago for four touchdowns and 130 yards, the Trojans were ready for Derek Thompson, allowing him just 52 yards on 16 carries.
Overall, the Trojans limited the Bears to 119 total yards.
It was the third time in four games that the Hillsboro defense had held an opponent to less than eight points.
And it was the third time in four games that the 40-point "mercy rule" kept the clock running for most of the second half.
