Trojans prepare for Sterling
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
The 2007 Trojan seniors had yet to reach kindergarten when a bigger, stronger, batch of Sterling Black Bears rolled into Hillsboro and soundly mauled the Trojans.
That was 14 years ago, when Sterling kept Hillsboro out of the 3A playoffs. For the next 11 years, however, the Trojans would dominate the series.
Heading into their first game with the Trojans since 2003, the Black Bears are as hot as anybody in the highly-competitive MCAA.
Sterling (3-1) enters the Trojans' homecoming game Friday riding its best start since 1992. Its sole loss was a 49-6 wipeout by a fifth-ranked Hoisington.
Friday's kickoff against the Black Bears is slated for 7 p.m.
"This will be another litmus test for us," said Coryea. "We want to be a good football team; we're going to have to beat a good football team.
"Sterling's playing with a lot of momentum and they've got a lot of confidence. This could be a game where we could use a little luck."
One week removed from suffering its first loss of the year, Hillsboro (3-1) got back to business Friday, rolling over the Ellinwood Eagles (0-4), 47-6.
The blowout gave Coryea an opportunity to give the ball to nine running backs.
Coryea also had said he wanted to get the ball to his star wideout Troy Frick. And on the Trojans' opening drive, quarterback Spencer Brown found Frick for a 42-yard touchdown to fuel a 21-point first quarter.
Michael Suderman carried the ball seven times for a game-high 73 yards and one touchdown, but it was Lucas Hamm, who ran over the smaller Eagle defense for three touchdowns.
"We had holes open all night," Coryea said. "Lucas just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Michael had some good carries."
Jacob Yoder and Brown also added scores in the first half that would push the Trojan lead to 41-0 by halftime.
The Eagles managed 202 yards offense, but never got in the end zone until the fourth quarter with Brett Detter scoring against Trojan underclassmen.
Tyler Kaufman broke through on the extra-point attempt to hold Ellinwood to six points.
Hillsboro got 218 yards rushing with Ishmael Morris, freshman Chris Couts, and Tyler Jones even carrying the ball for positive yardage.
Overall, Brown was 9 for 16 passing for 146 yards with one touchdown, but was intercepted twice while Frick hauled in four catches for a game-high 86 yards.
