HILLSBORO: Trojans decimate Sterling 35-0 years ago
Hillsboro evens record at 3-3
with 35-0 shutout of Black Bears
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Ever since dropping three games in a row, the first time ever by a Dustin McEwen-coached team, the Trojans have taken their frustrations out on the opponent.
Friday night, the struggling host Sterling Black Bears happened to get in the way of a Trojan team poised for a strong finish to end the season.
It was the Trojans' defense that held the day for Hillsboro, holding the Bears to a modest 64 yards of total offense en route to the Trojans' second consecutive shutout, 35-0.
"We had some guys that took a few shots and we were short some people," McEwen said. "I thought we had some great guidance and good efforts by some of the younger kids."
The victory raises the Trojans' record to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Mid Division of the MCAA league.
A tale of two different halves, the Trojans looked like they were headed for another catastrophe with the way the game started.
Aided by a gusting south wind, whichever team was headed north had a short field to work with.
Field position was something Hillsboro battled through the entire night.
Of the Trojans' six first half drives, none began any closer than their own 34.
On Hillsboro's first drive, Dustin Jost was picked off the first of two times by Jeremy Flickinger, deep in Trojan territory.
But the Hillsboro defense made it almost impossible for the Bears to move the ball.
Sterling had a slew of chances to blow the game open with the Trojans' committing four turnovers in the first half, all of which left the Bears in good field position.
Minus standout running back Dallas Schnurr, the Bears' offense went through the game with the emergency brake on.
Down 13-0 at intermission, they'd managed to drive 7 yards in 24 plays.
Of their 13 drives for the game, three didn't fizzle out in three-downs with Sterling crossing midfield a trio of times.
The biggest offensive highlight for Sterling came from the punter, who booted nine kicks for 276 yards.
The first drive, set up by the Jost-interception, got Sterling as close as the Trojan 27 before turning the ball over on downs.
Jost redeemed himself for his first pick, taking off on first-and-10 for a 38-yard touchdown with 6:56 left in the first quarter.
Caleb Marsh split the uprights on the PAT and Hillsboro never looked back, up 7-0.
The senior quarterback Jost was a one-man wrecking crew, torching the Bears for a quartet of touchdowns with two more through the air.
Of the Trojans' 392 yards total offense, Jost accounted for 169 with a game-high 67 yards coming from 13 carries.
The first of two touchdown completions, a 13-yard pass from Jost to Steven Chisholm, sent the Trojans into the break with a 13-0 lead after Marsh's PAT kick drifted wide right in the south wind.
Considering that keeping the football has haunted Hillsboro all season and Sterling's field position in the first half, Hillsboro had to dodge bullets to lead at halftime.
"I felt lucky that Sterling didn't have the offense to move the ball against our defense," McEwen said of his team's lead at halftime. "Our defense played excellent tonight.
"It was the second week we got a shutout and that's phenomenal. That doesn't always happen to you."
A trio of touchdowns in the second half put the game on ice for Hillsboro.
Jost threw a 23-yard strike to Marsh, Kris Jones scampered 59 yards to pay-dirt in the third quarter.
Jost capped off his stellar night, scoring on a 27-yard quarterback keeper, barely 1:30 into the final frame.
The Trojans return home Friday to host the struggling Lyons Lions in a 7 p.m. showdown at Reimer Field.
