Miscues in 2nd half cost Hillsboro in loss to Goshen
The second half was no friend to the Hillsboro Indians Saturday night at Richards Memorial Field, as once the game resumed from inclement weather the previous night, there was a different Indians team that didn't play up to par with the way they played 24 hours before.
When the final whistle blew, it was the Indians who lost their second consecutive game to start the season, falling to the visiting Goshen Warriors, 27-7, as HHS was outscored 20-0 in the second half.
"Mental lapses cost us," HHS head coach Matt Hodge said. "Mental mistakes is what got us beat (Saturday). For as well as we played Friday, we didn't play very well tonight.
"When you give up a special teams touchdown, and you come back and don't get lined up right on defense …then on offense, we moved the ball all the way down the field to have a fourth and short, then get a false start penalty. We had mistakes in all phases of the game, and that's how you get beat."
The lone score of the two-night game for the Indians (0-2) came in the first quarter on Friday night, as the game resumed with 3:34 left in the second quarter Saturday.
Hodge said playing the game on two different nights was not an excuse to use for their play Saturday.
"They (Goshen) had to play on two nights too … that excuse is out the window," he said. "We just didn't get it done."
In the first quarter, Hillsboro quarterback Hunter Chain took the snap from center Curran Butler, then flipped to running back Brian Smith. Smith, who was injured in the second half, found Ryan Hagan for an 81-yard touchdown reception, the Indians’ first points of the '15 season. Deon Burns converted the point after for the seven-point lead with 7:51 on the first-quarter scoreboard.
Goshen (2-0) tied the game in the first quarter with a 46-yard run by their quarterback, Isaac Hart, breaking numerous tackles on his way to the end zone.
That was all the scoring for Friday night by both teams, but on Saturday night all the scoring was by the Warriors, starting with a touchdown on special teams.
Goshen, whom the Indians defeated last season by a 28-7 score, took the lead for good when sophomore Jake Tatman picked up the loose football following a high snap on a punt attempt by the Indians. Tatman, a defensive lineman, rumbled 20-plus yards to the end zone for six points, and eventually a 14-7 lead for the visitors with just around six minutes left in the third.
Following the Warriors' Brody Brewer intercepting a pass with 6:43 left in the fourth, they capitalized and put the game out of reach when on the second play on the ensuing drive, Hart raced 44 yards to the end zone for his second touchdown of the game. The score came with 4:30 left in regulation as Hart went around the right side of the Indians' defense, untouched to pay dirt.
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HHS was forced to pass the football, trailing by 13 points, but the offensive drive ended on a turnover on downs with the ball on their own 17-yard line, and once again, the Warriors took advantage of the opportunity, regaining possession with 3:40 on the scoreboard.
After a 15-yard run by Nathan Creech on first down, GHS scored their final touchdown of the game when Hart reached the end zone on a third-and-3 play, this time racing around the left corner of the defense with 2:23 left in the game.
HHS did have a positive in the second half when sophomore Britton Haines intercepted a Goshen pass with 6:43 left in the third, catching the ball on the Indians' 1-yard line. The play came on a second-and-20 play.
Another solid drive for the Indians that just didn't have the finish they wanted began with 5:48 left in the third. Heith Brown carried the ball from the Indians' 40-yard line for nine yards, and later in the drive on a third-and-2, Brown gained the first down with an eight-yard carry.
From there, Brown raced for 15 yards and a first down, placing the ball on the 31-yard line of the Warriors. Brown later in the drive on a second down play went 11 yards. Eventually, the fourth quarter began during the drive, only to see the Indians get to a fourth-and-three play in the Goshen 13-yard line, but a false start play pushed the home team back, and the fourth down play went for five yards and a turnover on downs with 11:50 left in regulation.
On their final drive on the game, the Indians were intercepted by senior Jason Young. For the game, the Indians allowed three turnovers.
HHS will play on the road for the first time this season next Friday, traveling to Clermont Northeastern. This week, CNE lost by a 47-14 score to Amelia, sending them to an 0-2 record after the first two weeks. Last season, the Indians defeated the CNE Rockets, 39-0. In Week 1, CNE lost to Fayetteville by a 38-6 score.
(Rory Ryan of The Highland County Press contributed to this article.)