Trojans' season ends on sour note
Southeast of Saline ends Hillsboro's season on 34-8 loss
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Trojan tight end Ben Schaefer hauled in a 23-yard catch from quarterback Josh Boese late in the fourth quarter.
There was nothing spectacular about the catch Thursday night when the Trojans hosted Class 3A's second ranked Southeast of Saline Trojans. Except Schaefer's diving grab marked the first time in the game Hillsboro's offense managed to make it past midfield.
Maybe the best thing for Hillsboro is the long, frustrating season finally came to an end with SES (9-0) beating the Trojans (2-7), 34-8.
With their fate having been decided six days earlier in a 19-0 shutout by Marion, the only thing the Trojans had left to play for was pride.
"I didn't realize they were as big as they were, physically," Coryea said. "All week long I watched and I thought we could move the ball, but we couldn't get that pass-run rhythm going."
No arguing the Trojans didn't have some chances with the sloppy muck of Reimer Field hampering teams' offensive executions, footing, and tackling.
Schaefer recovered a SES fumble on its first drive of the game deep in Hillsboro territory.
But the Trojans were battling a long field 14 out of 15 drives with 13 drives starting further than their own 44-yard line.
That's bad news for a team that's offensively challenged.
Until the Trojans finally ruined a shutout late in the game, nearly holding SES scoreless in the first quarter and denying on four fourth down attempts was the best Hillsboro could manage.
Coryea was well aware of the threats SES quarterback Justin Schropp posed.
Able to beat teams both with his legs and arm, it was Schropp's running that killed Hillsboro. He put SES in front 7-0 after a 39-yard run came just before the first quarter buzzer.
Schropp carried the ball 21 times for a game-high 129 yards to help SES roll up 285 yards on the ground. He also threw for 81 yards, overmatching Hillsboro's total offense by 22 yards rushing.
Already with a commanding 13-0 lead with 4:12 left in the first half, SES got a big lift from a pair of back-to-back Hillsboro mistakes to take a 28-0 lead by halftime.
"Personally, if we didn't have that little debacle in the second quarter, this game would have been reasonably close," said Coryea. "I think they started getting nervous.
"I don't think they're (SES) the number-two team in the state. We've played better teams, Smoky Valley and Collegiate. I think they're better."
They're also Class 4A teams though, and SES may have to get through Norton, Garden Plain, Hesston, and of course, three-time defending champion Conway Springs.
SES added another touchdown with 3:10 left in the third quarter before Hillsboro finally responded.
Coryea shifted quarterback Derek Hamm to wideout and brought in the reserve Boese.
Boese showed some promise, hitting Schaefer on third down, converting the first of two third down conversions out of 11 attempts.
That was all for naught with the Trojans giving the ball back on the next down.
The junior Schaefer's highlight tape wasn't yet complete.
He recovered a fumble at the SES 12 with time rapidly diminishing in the Trojans' season while finishing with a team-high two catches for 44 yards.
In a play that worked against Collegiate, Boese hit Dan Deckert for a completion.
Before hitting the ground, Deckert flipped the ball to Lucas Hamm, bolting down the SES sideline on a hook-and-ladder play.
Lucas ran it in for the 12-yard touchdown to prevent the shutout.
Joining Deckert and Derek Hamm playing their final game for Hillsboro, Tyler Goldsby caught the two-point conversion pass from Boese with 4:27 left in the season.
"I hope our parents can see that we were not strong kids this year in football. We were weak," Coryea said. "A good example of what I think weightlifting does is our girls' volleyball team. I watched those girls do their workout every day, three days a week.
"Hard work brings success. I had guys come into the weight room, but they didn't lift, I watched them. It wasn't my call then. Now it is, starting in December. They're going to change. We will change."
Despite the loss of Derek Hamm, Jeremy Klose, Deckert, Jayce Penner, and Ryan Kaiser, the Trojans should have enough returning in 2005 to do better than 2004.
