Hillsboro beats Portsmouth West in shootout
By: Jonas Conn
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PORTSMOUTH, OH (WOUB) — After an exhilarating back-and-forth game, the Hillsboro Indians secured a 49-34 win over the Portsmouth West Senators.
Hillsboro senior RB Jeven Hochstuhl was a game-changer. He had three total touchdowns, two on the ground and one on defense, taking an interception to the house in the fourth quarter. Portsmouth West junior RB Anthony Bishop went for three scores as well, two rushing and one receiving.
The scoring started immediately with a 38-yard punt return touchdown by RB Tre Captain, setting the tone for the night. The junior added another touchdown later in the first quarter, making it 14-0, Indians.
The Senators broke through on their fourth drive. QB Brody Hall took off for 52 yards to jumpstart the drive, and Bishop caught a 32-yard pass in the end zone. This cut the lead in half, making the score 14-7.
Hillsboro fired right back, though. Hochstuhl capped a run-heavy, bruising drive with a zig-zag 24-yard touchdown, juking multiple defenders and shedding tackles. You can see the impressive run on the Top Plays segment of this week’s Gridiron Glory episode on YouTube.
The very next drive, however, Portsmouth West fired right back. Braden Adkins caught a deep lob from Hall and scampered to the house, keeping the Senators close. A missed PAT left the score at 21-13, but the lead was back to one score.
After a stop on defense, Portsmouth West got the ball back late in the half. Hall led his team on a deep march into Indian territory, taking advantage of a nullified interception. WR Gunnar Shonkwiler eventually caught a 16-yard score, and Bishop tied the game with a successful 2-point conversion. At halftime, both teams were knotted at 21.
Coming out of the break, Hillsboro started with the ball. However, junior Colin Swackhamer fumbled the ball into the hands of Senator senior Carson Carver. The Senators took over, and Bishop punched it in from 6 yards out to give them their first lead of the game. Their next drive resulted in another touchdown from Bishop, extending the lead to 34-21.
Hillsboro wasn’t done yet, though. After a couple of stagnant drives from both teams, the Indians scored via a Mason Dumpert QB sneak. Minutes later, Adkins made a costly mistake on special teams, muffing the ensuing kickoff. Hillsboro capitalized with a 9-yard rushing score from Captain, and just like that, the Indians had a 35-34 lead.
Portsmouth West, now trailing again, marched all the way down to the red zone before its drive stalled. A costly turnover on downs gave the ball back to Hillsboro with 4:04 left in the game. Two plays into the drive, Hochstuhl shrank the Senators’ chances even further, blasting through for an 82-yard score to make it 42-34.
With time running out, Hall led the Senators on one last drive. Similar to the previous one, however, they were stopped in their tracks in the red zone. With one last chance on fourth down, Hall tried to force a ball to Stonkwiler, but Hochstuhl intercepted the pass and returned it 93 yards for a game-sealing pick-6.
After the road victory, Hillsboro improves to 3-0. Their undefeated record will be tested next week against Williamsburg, which also doesn’t have a loss. Portsmouth West drops to 1-2, with their next game coming up against Chilicothe.