Indians win in overtime at Jackson; keep playoff hopes alive
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Hillsboro Indians made two big plays in overtime, leading them to a 27-21 Frontier Athletic Conference victory Friday night in Week 8, as the Indians used a rare pass completion for a touchdown to seal the win.
The Indians had Justin Spears intercept a pass in the end zone in overtime, followed by the Indians winning the game with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Mason Swayne to Luke Middleton — who was wide-open in the end zone — as the two seniors kept the playoff hopes going with the final touchdown of the game on third down.
Hillsboro's win moves them to 2-1 in the FAC and 7-1 overall. The loss drops Jackson to 2-1 in the FAC and 6-2 overall.
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“Our kids just kept fighting the whole way,” Hillsboro coach Jack O’Rourke said. “That’s the sign of a champion, and our kids were champions tonight. We got down 14-7, we lost Josh Keets in the second quarter, they tied the game to get it into overtime, but our kids kept coming back from everything all night. That’s what it takes.”
Both the Indians and Ironmen went scoreless in the first quarter, and the Indians were first to score in the second quarter on a eight-play, 79-yard drive that took just 2:49 off the clock as Deon Burns scored on a 2-yard run. The PAT by Reece Bloomfield kick with 5:44 on the clock made it a 7-0 HHS lead.
Jackson, in their first drive of the second quarter, also reached pay dirt as their seven-play drive resulted in a 50-yard drive, which was capped off by a Brody Landrum 16-yard TD reception from Jared Icenhower. The PAT by Trent Wolford tied the score at 7-7.
The Ironmen took the lead off a 27-yard pass from Icenhower to Landrum late in the second quarter for a touchdown. The PAT by Wolford left the score in favor of JHS at 14-7.
HHS was first to strike in the third quarter as Swayne rushed for a 21-yard touchdown with 4:32 left in the third. The PAT was no good, keeping Jackson ahead by a 14-13 score.
Mark Gallimore raced nine yards to the end zone off a pass from Swayne for six points with 4:48 left in the fourth to give the Indians the lead for the first time since the second quarter. Swayne raced the ball to the end zone for a 2-point conversion, leaving the Indians ahead, 21-14.
Jackson saw Brice Graham help them tie the score at 21-21 with 1:13 left in the fourth quarter as he went on an 8-yard run to the end zone for six points. Wolford connected with the PAT for a 21-21 score, which stood until the end of regulation.
Then came overtime, where Spears had the interception in the end zone, followed by the touchdown pass from Swayne to Middleton to seal the win in the corner of the end zone.
“Mason Swayne made some mistakes early, but he did a great job and more than made up for it at the end,” O’Rourke said.
The Indians totaled 333 yards of offense, with 301 rushing and 32 passing. HHS totaled 59 rushes for the game, with Burns leading the way with 26 rushes for 118 yards and one touchdown. Next was Gallimore with 14 carries for 113 yards, and Swayne finished with 32 yards rushing and one touchdown on eight carries.
Josh Keets (who was injured in the second quarter and did not return) finished with 34 yards rushing on seven carries, and James Coday had four yards on the ground for HHS.
Jackson was led by Icenhower with 63 yards rushing on 10 carries, and Caleb Haller had 40 yards on five carries. For the game, the Ironmen totaled 162 yards rushing and 268 yards of total offense.
Landrum led the Ironman with four receptions for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
Next for the Indians is a FAC game in Week 9 as they travel to face the Miami Trace Panthers (2-6 overall) at MTHS.
(Thank you to Paul Boggs of The Courier in Vinton and Jackson counties for contributing to the article.)
The Indians had Justin Spears intercept a pass in the end zone in overtime, followed by the Indians winning the game with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Mason Swayne to Luke Middleton — who was wide-open in the end zone — as the two seniors kept the playoff hopes going with the final touchdown of the game on third down.
Hillsboro's win moves them to 2-1 in the FAC and 7-1 overall. The loss drops Jackson to 2-1 in the FAC and 6-2 overall.
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“Our kids just kept fighting the whole way,” Hillsboro coach Jack O’Rourke said. “That’s the sign of a champion, and our kids were champions tonight. We got down 14-7, we lost Josh Keets in the second quarter, they tied the game to get it into overtime, but our kids kept coming back from everything all night. That’s what it takes.”
Both the Indians and Ironmen went scoreless in the first quarter, and the Indians were first to score in the second quarter on a eight-play, 79-yard drive that took just 2:49 off the clock as Deon Burns scored on a 2-yard run. The PAT by Reece Bloomfield kick with 5:44 on the clock made it a 7-0 HHS lead.
Jackson, in their first drive of the second quarter, also reached pay dirt as their seven-play drive resulted in a 50-yard drive, which was capped off by a Brody Landrum 16-yard TD reception from Jared Icenhower. The PAT by Trent Wolford tied the score at 7-7.
The Ironmen took the lead off a 27-yard pass from Icenhower to Landrum late in the second quarter for a touchdown. The PAT by Wolford left the score in favor of JHS at 14-7.
HHS was first to strike in the third quarter as Swayne rushed for a 21-yard touchdown with 4:32 left in the third. The PAT was no good, keeping Jackson ahead by a 14-13 score.
Mark Gallimore raced nine yards to the end zone off a pass from Swayne for six points with 4:48 left in the fourth to give the Indians the lead for the first time since the second quarter. Swayne raced the ball to the end zone for a 2-point conversion, leaving the Indians ahead, 21-14.
Jackson saw Brice Graham help them tie the score at 21-21 with 1:13 left in the fourth quarter as he went on an 8-yard run to the end zone for six points. Wolford connected with the PAT for a 21-21 score, which stood until the end of regulation.
Then came overtime, where Spears had the interception in the end zone, followed by the touchdown pass from Swayne to Middleton to seal the win in the corner of the end zone.
“Mason Swayne made some mistakes early, but he did a great job and more than made up for it at the end,” O’Rourke said.
The Indians totaled 333 yards of offense, with 301 rushing and 32 passing. HHS totaled 59 rushes for the game, with Burns leading the way with 26 rushes for 118 yards and one touchdown. Next was Gallimore with 14 carries for 113 yards, and Swayne finished with 32 yards rushing and one touchdown on eight carries.
Josh Keets (who was injured in the second quarter and did not return) finished with 34 yards rushing on seven carries, and James Coday had four yards on the ground for HHS.
Jackson was led by Icenhower with 63 yards rushing on 10 carries, and Caleb Haller had 40 yards on five carries. For the game, the Ironmen totaled 162 yards rushing and 268 yards of total offense.
Landrum led the Ironman with four receptions for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
Next for the Indians is a FAC game in Week 9 as they travel to face the Miami Trace Panthers (2-6 overall) at MTHS.
(Thank you to Paul Boggs of The Courier in Vinton and Jackson counties for contributing to the article.)