Sports
Hillsboro Hurdles Court House in FAC Meeting
By: Taylor Jedrzejek
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Long losing streaks have a tendency to die hard. Friday night was no different for Hillsboro.
The Indians (5-2, 1-1 Frontier Athletic Conference) hadn’t defeated Washington Court House (3-4, 0-2 FAC) in just over 12 years, an eight game losing streak, but were able to break that streak with a 41-34 win on Homecoming Night in Richards Memorial Stadium.
With 6:28 to play in the game, Devon Gallimore ran the ball in from 36 yards out to put the Indians up 41-24, but the Blue Lions still had fight.
Washington Court House drove 62 yards in 2:23 to cut the Hillsboro lead to seven.
After recovering the ensuing onside kick, the Blue Lions drove down to the Indian 11-yardline only to throw a pick in the end zone, but Hillsboro fumbled the ball back on the first play.
However, Washington Court House was unable to make the most of their second chance, turning the ball over on downs. A 27-yard run from Hillsboro running back Josh Keets sealed the victory for the Indians.
Keets was also the player that opened the scoring for the game back in the first quarter. The junior scored from 40 yards out to give Hillsboro an early 7-0 lead.
Blue Lion quarterback Rich Burns found Eli Lynch streaking down the far sideline for a 32-yard touchdown. The PAT tied the game at 7 with 3:25 remaining in the first quarter.
The same Washington Court House tandem connected for another touchdown from nine yards away early in the second quarter. This time, the score came on 4th down inside the Hillsboro 10 yard line to give the Blue Lions a 14-7 lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the second.
Deon Burns would not let the Blue Lions keep the momentum though. The bruising running back carried three Washington Court House defenders with him into the end zone. The 17-yard score drew the score back even at 14 with 7:56 left in the second.
Washington’s Burns responded with his third touchdown toss of the first half, this one a 21-yarder to Zane Nelson. However, the Blue Lions failed on a two point conversion to keep their lead to just six points, 20-14, with just under five minutes left in until the half.
It took only three plays for the Indians to regain the lead when quarterback Mason Swayne completed his only pass of the night, a 68-yard touchdown to Britton Haines. The PAT gave Hillsboro a 21-20 lead.
After the Hillsboro defense forced a three and out, the Indians once again fed the ball to Keets to get into scoring position. Keets totaled five carries for 30 yards on the 10-play drive, but Deon Burns once again powered into the end zone, this time from a yard out, to give the Indians a 27-20 lead heading into halftime.
Washington Court House wasted no time tying the game back up after the break when Jacob Rice scored on the ground from seven yards out to cap off a drive that spanned just 1:59 to start the third quarter.
Deon Burns scored his third rushing touchdown on the ensuing drive to once again put Hillsboro ahead, this time for good. The power back’s 10-yard rumble gave the Indians a 34-27 lead with 6:32 to play in the third quarter.
Both teams would trade punts until the Gallimore touchdown gave the Indians a 14-point lead late.
Hillsboro finished with over 500 total yards on offense, with 440 of those coming on the ground. Keets led the way for the Indians, rushing for 191 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries, while his backfield mate Burns finished with 152 yards on 25 carries to go along with his 3 scores. The Indians’ backfield averaged 7.7 yards per carry for the game.
Washington Court House backup QB Rich Burns filled in nicely for Dillon Steward, finishing the game with 214 yards and three scores through the air and another 85 yards on the ground. Rice finished with 57 yards rushing to go along with his two scores. The two Elis, Ruth and Lynch, were the favorite targets of Burns in the passing game with Lynch hauling in four passes for 96 yards and two scores while Ruth caught five balls for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Next week, both teams continue their FAC schedule with Washington Court House traveling to McClain to take on the Tigers while Hillsboro hosts the Ironmen of Jackson.