Trojans dive into playoffs with victory over Broncos
Hillsboro in for second straight year
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Hillsboro High School football coach Len Coryea knew the key to beating the Remington Broncos Thursday was being able to pressure one of the state's premier quarterbacks, Cole Cherryholmes.
If the Trojans could run the football and slow down Remington's deadly passing game, HHS could secure its second straight ticket to the 3A state playoffs in the regular season finale.
Jake Yoder ran for a game-high 152 yards and three touchdowns while the Trojans (5-4) beat the Broncos (7-2) 33-26.
The Trojans victory set up a Tuesday night game in Sedgwick against another Heart of America Conference opponent, the Cardinals, with a ticket to the sectional playoff game on the line.
One year ago the Trojans crushed the previously unbeaten Broncos, 40-0, but it was a huge first quarter Thursday that buried Remington.
Hillsboro's Brandon Brown picked off Cherryholmes on the Broncos' first play and just like last year, the Trojans struck on their first play of the game with Yoder shedding a tackle and breaking away for a 48-yard touchdown run.
Spencer Brown missed the extra point, but the Trojans still had a 6-0 lead.
Yoder added another touchdown on the next drive as the Hillsboro defense held Cherryholmes to 0-5 passing to start the game.
The Trojans went for two, but one of 10 penalties, which cost them 96 yards, forced a retry that was no good.
Daniel Jost had a career night for Hillsboro, seven catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns, including a 56-yard score from Spencer Brown to get Bronco coach Chris Lawler's blood boiling. Before the end of the first quarter, Lawler would be ejected after picking up two consecutive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Spencer Brown threw for 205 yards and the two touchdowns to Jost, while adding 96 more yards on the ground to finish with 301 all-purpose yards.
"I knew we had to score in the 20s to win," Coryea said. "You've got to give (Cherryholmes) his yards, they're a good throwing team. I thought we did our jobs, though."
The Bronco passing game got going in the second quarter with Cherryholmes finally getting on track.
The senior was 27-49 passing for 312 yards and all four of his touchdowns going to Jake Thiessen, who had a team-high 164 yards.
The Trojans went into the half with the Broncos in the rear-view mirror, 19-14.
"We panicked there in the second quarter," said Coryea. "Rather than just letting the guy catch the ball, we had a break down. Instead of making the tackle, we were trying to kill them at that point.
"We told them at halftime to settle down and make the sticks and not let them get the long balls."
Remington pulled ahead, 20-19, on its opening drive of the second half with Cherryholmes going long for Thiessen for an 80-yard score just 55 seconds into the half.
"I didn't really worry about that one," said Coryea of the go-ahead touchdown. "I just thought that we could get ourselves going and come back and score, but missing those extra points again is haunting us. I was pretty happy with the way things worked out."
Yoder put Hillsboro back on top to stay, scoring on a three-yard run before Spencer Brown aired it out to Jost for a 58-yard touchdown with 10 minutes, 32 seconds left in the game.
The fierce competitor that he is, Cherryholmes gave the Broncos one last chance, needing a touchdown to win, with 3:30 left in the game.
Hillsboro forced a turnover on downs, kept the ball on the ground, and ran out the clock to move on and send Remington home again for the second straight year.
"He's such a competitor," said Coryea of Cherryholmes. "He gets my vote for all-state player, I'm glad we don't have to see him again."
A victory Tuesday, which was before the press time, will have Hillsboro meet the winner of Conway Springs-Wichita Collegiate game Saturday at a site and time yet to be determined.
