Trojans get road win against Vikings
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
The Hillsboro Trojan football team upended the Smokey Valley Vikings 19-7 Friday night in Lindsborg on its way to its second straight win of the year.
Impressive the week before in a loss to Collegiate, the Vikings offense was limited by a swarming Trojan defense to a sparse 126 yards.
The big road win lifts the Trojans' mark to 2-1 on the season.
Daniel Deckert was everywhere on the field but the concession stand and bleachers, making huge plays both on offense and defense for the Trojans.
The lanky junior wideout hauled in two touchdown catches from quarterback Derek Hamm while picking off three Viking passes and making four tackles from his new strong safety position in the defensive secondary.
Hamm finished the game completing 11 of 21 passes, throwing for 130 yards with a game-high 89 going to Deckert on five completions.
Led by a team-high 17 carries for 75 yards by Tim Funk, the Trojans bulled their way to 108 yards on the ground on 40 carries.
Along with turnovers, Hillsboro's been plagued by slow starts all year, and Friday was no different with the Trojans fumbling away a partially blocked punt.
The Trojans only committed three turnovers, two fumbles and an interception.
The Vikings pulled ahead 7-0 after quarterback Kyle Martin capped off an 83-yard drive with an 11-yard completion to Ryan DuMars with 1:25 remaining in the opening quarter.
While DuMars was responsible for the Vikings' only score of the game, he was also helpful setting the Trojans up with great field position on a muffed punt return.
Smoky Valley eluded the mistake when Hamm was picked off in the end zone to start the second quarter.
The Vikings couldn't make use of the takeaway, going three and out on their ensuing drive.
Deckert made his first attack with 2:35 left in the half, catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from Hamm.
David Funk connected on the PAT and the score was knotted at sevens.
Deckert picked off Martin for the second time on the Vikings first drive after the Trojan TD.
By the time the final horn sounded, Smoky Valley had been pestered into committing six turnovers.
Pinned deep in the Trojans' own territory, Hamm topped off a five-play 66-yard drive firing a 31-yard bullet to Deckert, who zipped down the left sideline for six.
The PAT was no good, but Hillsboro grabbed the 13-7 lead and never looked back with just over a minute left before halftime.
Big in the first half, the Trojans defense was bigger in the second half, when the Vikings had a short field to work with virtually every down.
And the Hillsboro defense battered the Viking quarterbacks all game, dropping them six times with three sacks coming from Ryan Kaiser.
Hamm put the finishing touches on the Trojans' scoring with inside 5:00 left in the game, sneaking in from a yard away.
Hillsboro went for two, but the conversion attempt was denied.
The Trojans face another stiff road challenge Friday when they travel to Ellinwood. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
