Hillsboro controls East Clinton for SCOL win

LEES CREEK — The first drive of the game, the Hillsboro Indians set the tone and the style the game would be played for four quarters. That tone and style was smash mouth football, and for their efforts, the Indians went to Clinton County and defeated the host East Clinton Astros, 18-7.

The victory by the Indians was their first win since Week 3 and their first South Central Ohio League win of the season. With the win, the Indians broke a four-game skid, improving to 2-6 on the season, 1-4 in the SCOL.

HHS head coach Matt Hodge also gained a win against the school he formerly coached in East Clinton, a program he led to multiple playoff berths when they were a part of the SBAAC.

"That score of 18-7, I thought we controlled it a little better than that. They (East Clinton) made some plays, so give their kids credit, but my seniors played hard," Hodge said. "Our offensive line played really well, and we made plays tonight.

"To go through the three weeks we did with Wilmington, Chillicothe and Clinton-Massie, and to come out and play like we did tonight … I couldn't be prouder of my kids."

Back to Friday night and how the Indians began the game, they scored on their first drive, beginning with them having an onside kick recovery on the opening kickoff. Having great field position to start the game, the Indians began the opening drive on their own 48-yard line, and nine plays later of grind-it-out football, the visiting Indians reached the end zone on a 14-yard rush by senior Heith Brown with 8:05 left in the quarter. The score stayed at 6-0 as the PAT was blocked.

The Indians began the drive with Brown rushing five yards and followed with a 12-yard run by Brown, then a six-yard run by Lane Hester. Two plays later, Brown pounded the ball for 16 yards, carrying a player from East Clinton on his back before being stopped on the EC 41-yard line.

Unofficially, Brown rushed for 171 yards on the night.

From there, on the very next play, Hester raced six yards, and Brown, again, carrying a player from the opposition, went 11 yards for a first down, this time on the EC 19-yard line.

Following a penalty on the Indians, Brown scored his aforementioned touchdown with 8:05 left in the first on a first-and-goal play.

Hillsboro wasn't just about their offense in the first quarter, because their defense joined the party, resulting in a turnover on an interception by Britton Haines around the 25-yard line with 3:45 left in the first quarter.

That turnover eventually led to a second Hillsboro score, this time with Brown barreling his way four yards to the end zone with 9:57 left in the second quarter on a clutch fourth-and-goal play. The PAT was no good following an HHS penalty for a 12-0 lead with a drive that began on the EC 25-yard line.

The Astros worked their best to defend their home field on their homecoming and on the very next drive added points to their side of the scoreboard with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Erik Moore to Brian Barnes with 8:32 left before halftime on a first down play. The PAT was converted by Austin Arellano for a 12-7 score.

"Our defense was lights out," Hodge said. "We gave up one big play. (Ryan) Hagen came over to me and said ‘they got me once, they aren't going to get me again,’ and he held true to that. He played lights out. We just made plays tonight, bottom line."

Hillsboro had a chance to add some more points before the half, starting a drive with 2:12 left in the second quarter, and from their own 33-yard line had a 12-yard run by Brown, followed later with a nine-yard reception by Jed Asmus and a 20-yard run by Chain.

The drive also had a 14-yard reception by Hagan, only to see the EC goal line defense put up a wall and keep the Indians out of the end zone on four straight, including a fourth-and-one with seconds to go in the first half. The touchdown-saving tackle by EC was made by Austin Hanners.

The Astros threatened to score in the third quarter, but Haines had other plans, gaining his second interception in the end zone with 2:32 left in the quarter.

"He made a big pick in the end zone, and teams are trying to attack him, but he's just making plays for us," Hodge said.

Following the interception, HHS had one final touchdown drive in them, coming in the fourth quarter, a drive that went 69 yards and included a play of 20 yards on a pass caught by Hagan on a third-and-13 play. The drive also saw Brown total 26 yards on three consecutive runs, followed by Chain having three straight runs for a combined 16 yards.

On third-and-one, Hester powered his way for six points with a six-yard run with 9:21 left in the game. The two-point conversion was no good, leaving HHS with an 18-7 lead.

The Indians had a third and final interception that sealed the win when Brown picked off the pass with 2:12 left in the fourth, taking the ball to the EC 6-yard line on a return of nearly 20 yards.

Hillsboro will play their final home game (Week 9) on Friday, Oct. 23 when the Indians host the Miami Trace Panthers at Richards Memorial Field at 7:30 p.m.

GAME NOTES: Hester had a tackle for loss (2 yards in the first quarter) … Gary Vincent tipped a pass on a third down play in the first quarter … Connor Lowe provided heavy pressure on an EC pass attempt that led to an incompletion in the third quarter … Later in the quarter, Lowe had a tackle for loss (2 yards) … Christian Opst had a tackle for loss (4 yards) in the third … Vincent had another blocked pass, this one in the fourth quarter … On the same drive, Laith Maxwell blocked a pass by EC … Haines broke up two consecutive passes with under seven minutes left in regulation.