Indians battle Goshen before losing, 28-26
Lead Summary
By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
In what will no doubt be the hottest football game of the 2011 season, the Hillsboro Indians put up a tremendous effort before losing to the Goshen Warriors, 28-26, Friday night at Richards Memorial Field.
Pre-game temperatures reached 99 degrees in uptown Hillsboro Friday, and with just at hour before kickoff, the mercury still registered 93 degrees. Coaches and games officials took the heat into consideration, allowing numerous timeouts for players rehydration.
Goshen junior running back Ryan Ashcraft scored the game's first points on a one-yard touchdown plunge at the 7:08 mark of the first quarter. Placekicker Brandon Buckstah lost his footing on the point-after attempt and the Warriors led, 6-0.
Indians quarterback Christian Cundiff wasted no time in engineering a counter-attack. He connected on a 47-yard pass down the south sideline to wideout Tyrand Cumberland that appeared to be good for a touchdown. However, Cumberland stepped out of bounds at the eight.
Cundiff took the shotgun snap from center Ethan Emery and ran for the Indians' first score of the night to tie the game at 6-6 with 5:37 on the clock. Hillsboro's two-point conversion attempt was no good.
With 32 seconds left in the first period, Goshen running back Aaron Worly ran untouched for the Warriors' second TD. Ashcraft ran it in from three yards out and the two-point conversion gave the visitors a 14-6 lead after one period.
Hillsboro moved the ball again in the second period on runs by Christian Wildey and Cundiff. A pass to Zach Young was good for a first down and on the next play, Cundiff found Chase Gillialnd for another first down. Goshen was penalized for a personal foul (face-masking) and the Indians were deep in Warriors' territory. On second and goal, though, Cundiff fumbled the football in he end zone and the Warriors recovered for a touchback.
Hillsboro's defense held the Warriors in check on the ensuing series of downs. Wildey, Caleb West and Gilliland all made tackles for the Tribe defense.
Late in the second period, the Indians were moving inside Goshen territory again. Alternating rushes by Cundiff and Wildey gained nine yards, five yards, eight yards and finally, a 10-yard TD run off right tackle by Wildey. The two-point attempt failed, but Hillsboro was right back in the game at 14-12.
After the halftime break, the Indians received the kickoff. Goshen tried an onside kick, but Chad Walker was ready for Hillsboro and recovered the football.
Less than three minutes later, Cundiff found the speedy Cumberland for a 50-yard touchdown pass. Cundiff converted the two-point attempt and the home crowd was on its feet as Brian Spicer's Indians owned a 20-14 lead with 9:44 to go in the third.
Coach Nick Inabnitt's Warriors were all too quick to respond, though. On a fourth-and-3 at their own 47, Ashcraft raced 53 yards to paydirt and the Warriors tied it at 20-20. Quarterback Alex Edwards passed to Austin Parker for the two-point conversion and a 22-20 Goshen advantage.
In the fourth quarter with 9:23 remaining, Wildey scored his second touchdown of the night – and third of the season – on a one-yard plunge. After the point-after failed, the Indians owned a 26-22 lead late in the game.
But once again, Ashcraft found a seam in the Indians' defense. With 6:44 to play in regulation, Ashcraft scampered for 35 yards and another touchdown. Phillip Hall and a host of Indians stopped Edwards on the two-point try. Still, the Warriors were back on top, 28-26.
Hillsboro had one final possession but came up one yard short on a fourth-and-four play.
Goshen moved the ball and worked the clock, moving the chains inside the Hillsboro five-yard line as time expired.
On the Warriors' final possession, Coach Spicer instructed the Indians defense to let Goshen score, which would give Hillsboro one more possession and an opportunity to tie the football game. However, the Goshen coaching staff yelled across the field for the Warriors to down the football. Edwards "took a knee" on the game's final two snaps, as Hillsboro was out of timeouts.
Hillsboro (0-2) travels to Wilmington on Sept. 9.
Score by quarters
GHS – 14 00 08 06
HHS – 06 06 08 06
Notes & Asides:
• HHS senior Christian Wildey scored his third TD of the young season. The runningback/linebacker also had numerous tackles on defense.
• Steve Morris and Aaron Worley ran like bulldozers for the Goshen Warriors. Ryan Ashcraft had the speed and the cutback moves, but these two backs simply ran over defenders. At the end of one Worly run, four Indians were slow to get up.
• Worly had the game's hardest hit, delivered at the end of the third quarter on Cundiff.
• HHS freshman Zach Young delivered a big hit at the end of an Ashcraft carry. The play was called back due to a holding penalty on Goshen. Still, Ashcraft knew who delivered the blow.
• HHS sophomore Dillon Hunick had an unassisted stop on Morris. Hunick rode the fullback to the ground late in the fourth period.
• HHS QB Christian Cundiff had a big third down scramble to pick up a fourth-quarter first down and set up a Wildey touchdown that put the Tribe ahead, 26-22, with 9:23 remaining.
• Nothing was easy for Goshen. Even on two of the Warriors' TD runs, the ball carriers went down hard at the goal line, as Chase Gilliland made a headlong diving tackle on Ashcraft in the third and Caleb West made a similar attempt – also against Ashcraft – in the fourth.
• The Indians were a much improved football team from Week 1.[[In-content Ad]]
Pre-game temperatures reached 99 degrees in uptown Hillsboro Friday, and with just at hour before kickoff, the mercury still registered 93 degrees. Coaches and games officials took the heat into consideration, allowing numerous timeouts for players rehydration.
Goshen junior running back Ryan Ashcraft scored the game's first points on a one-yard touchdown plunge at the 7:08 mark of the first quarter. Placekicker Brandon Buckstah lost his footing on the point-after attempt and the Warriors led, 6-0.
Indians quarterback Christian Cundiff wasted no time in engineering a counter-attack. He connected on a 47-yard pass down the south sideline to wideout Tyrand Cumberland that appeared to be good for a touchdown. However, Cumberland stepped out of bounds at the eight.
Cundiff took the shotgun snap from center Ethan Emery and ran for the Indians' first score of the night to tie the game at 6-6 with 5:37 on the clock. Hillsboro's two-point conversion attempt was no good.
With 32 seconds left in the first period, Goshen running back Aaron Worly ran untouched for the Warriors' second TD. Ashcraft ran it in from three yards out and the two-point conversion gave the visitors a 14-6 lead after one period.
Hillsboro moved the ball again in the second period on runs by Christian Wildey and Cundiff. A pass to Zach Young was good for a first down and on the next play, Cundiff found Chase Gillialnd for another first down. Goshen was penalized for a personal foul (face-masking) and the Indians were deep in Warriors' territory. On second and goal, though, Cundiff fumbled the football in he end zone and the Warriors recovered for a touchback.
Hillsboro's defense held the Warriors in check on the ensuing series of downs. Wildey, Caleb West and Gilliland all made tackles for the Tribe defense.
Late in the second period, the Indians were moving inside Goshen territory again. Alternating rushes by Cundiff and Wildey gained nine yards, five yards, eight yards and finally, a 10-yard TD run off right tackle by Wildey. The two-point attempt failed, but Hillsboro was right back in the game at 14-12.
After the halftime break, the Indians received the kickoff. Goshen tried an onside kick, but Chad Walker was ready for Hillsboro and recovered the football.
Less than three minutes later, Cundiff found the speedy Cumberland for a 50-yard touchdown pass. Cundiff converted the two-point attempt and the home crowd was on its feet as Brian Spicer's Indians owned a 20-14 lead with 9:44 to go in the third.
Coach Nick Inabnitt's Warriors were all too quick to respond, though. On a fourth-and-3 at their own 47, Ashcraft raced 53 yards to paydirt and the Warriors tied it at 20-20. Quarterback Alex Edwards passed to Austin Parker for the two-point conversion and a 22-20 Goshen advantage.
In the fourth quarter with 9:23 remaining, Wildey scored his second touchdown of the night – and third of the season – on a one-yard plunge. After the point-after failed, the Indians owned a 26-22 lead late in the game.
But once again, Ashcraft found a seam in the Indians' defense. With 6:44 to play in regulation, Ashcraft scampered for 35 yards and another touchdown. Phillip Hall and a host of Indians stopped Edwards on the two-point try. Still, the Warriors were back on top, 28-26.
Hillsboro had one final possession but came up one yard short on a fourth-and-four play.
Goshen moved the ball and worked the clock, moving the chains inside the Hillsboro five-yard line as time expired.
On the Warriors' final possession, Coach Spicer instructed the Indians defense to let Goshen score, which would give Hillsboro one more possession and an opportunity to tie the football game. However, the Goshen coaching staff yelled across the field for the Warriors to down the football. Edwards "took a knee" on the game's final two snaps, as Hillsboro was out of timeouts.
Hillsboro (0-2) travels to Wilmington on Sept. 9.
Score by quarters
GHS – 14 00 08 06
HHS – 06 06 08 06
Notes & Asides:
• HHS senior Christian Wildey scored his third TD of the young season. The runningback/linebacker also had numerous tackles on defense.
• Steve Morris and Aaron Worley ran like bulldozers for the Goshen Warriors. Ryan Ashcraft had the speed and the cutback moves, but these two backs simply ran over defenders. At the end of one Worly run, four Indians were slow to get up.
• Worly had the game's hardest hit, delivered at the end of the third quarter on Cundiff.
• HHS freshman Zach Young delivered a big hit at the end of an Ashcraft carry. The play was called back due to a holding penalty on Goshen. Still, Ashcraft knew who delivered the blow.
• HHS sophomore Dillon Hunick had an unassisted stop on Morris. Hunick rode the fullback to the ground late in the fourth period.
• HHS QB Christian Cundiff had a big third down scramble to pick up a fourth-quarter first down and set up a Wildey touchdown that put the Tribe ahead, 26-22, with 9:23 remaining.
• Nothing was easy for Goshen. Even on two of the Warriors' TD runs, the ball carriers went down hard at the goal line, as Chase Gilliland made a headlong diving tackle on Ashcraft in the third and Caleb West made a similar attempt – also against Ashcraft – in the fourth.
• The Indians were a much improved football team from Week 1.[[In-content Ad]]