Indians regain possession of the Rotary Bowl
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO — Nothing was going to stand in the way of the Hillsboro Indians in the season finale Friday night. They battled through the rain and the mud, and even past their Highland County rival McClain to regain back possession of the Rotary Bowl trophy by a 20-8 score.
All 20 points by the Indians were scored in the second quarter, with the Tigers' lone score coming in the fourth quarter.
Winning the Rotary Bowl for the Indians gives them possession of the trophy for the first time since they last defeated McClain in 2011, which was also their last win in the South Central Ohio League until Friday night.
The win also snapped a six-game regular season losing streak entering the season finale, and also gave the Indians one more opportunity to sing the school fight song with their classmates and fans, this time as the Rotary Bowl champion.
"We've had a rough six weeks, and to have the six weeks we've had and to come out and play the way we did … wow," HHS head coach Matt Hodge said. "I'm proud of them and can't say enough about my kids (Friday).
"We talk all the time about effort and character. Those are things that are not optional in our program. Our kids believe that, and if we want to turn this thing around like we want to, then we have to have effort and character."
[[In-content Ad]]Hillsboro finished the season at 3-7 overall, 1-6 in the SCOL, while their counterpart McClain ends the year at 0-10 overall, 0-7 in the league.
MHS head coach Randy Closson spoke about the Tigers' season and football in general.
"Football is a short part of their life, but it is a powerful experience," Closson said. "We wanted more for our kids this year, but unfortunately it seemed every week we had a new challenge, a new hurdle.
"We had injuries all season, but our kids responded, and they said 'I'll do what needs to be done.'"
As for the Indians' scoring, it wasn't until the second quarter until the scored the first of their three touchdowns.
With 9:28 left in the second, the first TD scored when Heith Brown powered his way for one yard, on second-and-goal, for the touchdown. The PAT by Ashley Purtee put the Indians ahead, 7-0.
Later HHS regained possession with an interception by R.J. Collard with 3:32 left in the quarter. With HHS gaining possession on the MHS 11-yard line, they responded by losing 10 yards on the next to plays to set up a third-and-20 situation.
On that third down, HHS quarterback Toby Warrington found Latrell Haithcock in the right corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown reception. The PAT was no good, leaving HHS in front by a 13-0 score.
Then the Indians caused a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, with Lane Hester recovering the fumble. That same series of events also saw the Tigers be called for a personal foul, eventually landing the Indians on the MHS 3-yard line.
With 2:52 left in the second quarter, Jordan Mosley raced the three yards needed to the end zone to put the Indians ahead by 20 points following the Purtee PAT.
"In the first half we made plays and forced turnovers," Hodge said. "Out backs ran hard and our line came off the ball. We just played really well the first half."
That was all the scoring the Indians needed to gain the win at Richards Memorial Field.
Though down, the Tigers weren't out just yet as they scored their lone touchdown on a 51-yard run by Jason Flowers with 44 seconds left in the game.
Both teams suffered injuries, with MHS losing running back Alex Hollar in the first quarter, and Brown of HHS being injured in the second quarter. Neither player returned to the game.
But there was more to this 2014 edition of the Rotary Bowl than the touchdowns, including a 20-yard run by Brown in the first quarter on a third-down play. Also in the first quarter, Hollar had an 18-yard run on a second-down possession.
In the second quarter, Brown (who the Indians relied on heavily until his injury) had a 19-yard run, later followed with a 13-yard rush on the same drive.
For HHS right before the half, Garrett Baldridge intercepted a pass near the end zone.
In the third for MHS, Flowers had a 28-yard run, and two plays later, he had a run of 23 yards. The Indians in the third, on first down saw Warrington find R.J. Collard for a 38-yard connection. Ryan Hagan of HHS also has a couple receptions in the game.
The fourth quarter saw MHS QB Tristen Pitzer have a run of 16 yards.
All 20 points by the Indians were scored in the second quarter, with the Tigers' lone score coming in the fourth quarter.
Winning the Rotary Bowl for the Indians gives them possession of the trophy for the first time since they last defeated McClain in 2011, which was also their last win in the South Central Ohio League until Friday night.
The win also snapped a six-game regular season losing streak entering the season finale, and also gave the Indians one more opportunity to sing the school fight song with their classmates and fans, this time as the Rotary Bowl champion.
"We've had a rough six weeks, and to have the six weeks we've had and to come out and play the way we did … wow," HHS head coach Matt Hodge said. "I'm proud of them and can't say enough about my kids (Friday).
"We talk all the time about effort and character. Those are things that are not optional in our program. Our kids believe that, and if we want to turn this thing around like we want to, then we have to have effort and character."
[[In-content Ad]]Hillsboro finished the season at 3-7 overall, 1-6 in the SCOL, while their counterpart McClain ends the year at 0-10 overall, 0-7 in the league.
MHS head coach Randy Closson spoke about the Tigers' season and football in general.
"Football is a short part of their life, but it is a powerful experience," Closson said. "We wanted more for our kids this year, but unfortunately it seemed every week we had a new challenge, a new hurdle.
"We had injuries all season, but our kids responded, and they said 'I'll do what needs to be done.'"
As for the Indians' scoring, it wasn't until the second quarter until the scored the first of their three touchdowns.
With 9:28 left in the second, the first TD scored when Heith Brown powered his way for one yard, on second-and-goal, for the touchdown. The PAT by Ashley Purtee put the Indians ahead, 7-0.
Later HHS regained possession with an interception by R.J. Collard with 3:32 left in the quarter. With HHS gaining possession on the MHS 11-yard line, they responded by losing 10 yards on the next to plays to set up a third-and-20 situation.
On that third down, HHS quarterback Toby Warrington found Latrell Haithcock in the right corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown reception. The PAT was no good, leaving HHS in front by a 13-0 score.
Then the Indians caused a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, with Lane Hester recovering the fumble. That same series of events also saw the Tigers be called for a personal foul, eventually landing the Indians on the MHS 3-yard line.
With 2:52 left in the second quarter, Jordan Mosley raced the three yards needed to the end zone to put the Indians ahead by 20 points following the Purtee PAT.
"In the first half we made plays and forced turnovers," Hodge said. "Out backs ran hard and our line came off the ball. We just played really well the first half."
That was all the scoring the Indians needed to gain the win at Richards Memorial Field.
Though down, the Tigers weren't out just yet as they scored their lone touchdown on a 51-yard run by Jason Flowers with 44 seconds left in the game.
Both teams suffered injuries, with MHS losing running back Alex Hollar in the first quarter, and Brown of HHS being injured in the second quarter. Neither player returned to the game.
But there was more to this 2014 edition of the Rotary Bowl than the touchdowns, including a 20-yard run by Brown in the first quarter on a third-down play. Also in the first quarter, Hollar had an 18-yard run on a second-down possession.
In the second quarter, Brown (who the Indians relied on heavily until his injury) had a 19-yard run, later followed with a 13-yard rush on the same drive.
For HHS right before the half, Garrett Baldridge intercepted a pass near the end zone.
In the third for MHS, Flowers had a 28-yard run, and two plays later, he had a run of 23 yards. The Indians in the third, on first down saw Warrington find R.J. Collard for a 38-yard connection. Ryan Hagan of HHS also has a couple receptions in the game.
The fourth quarter saw MHS QB Tristen Pitzer have a run of 16 yards.