Hillsboro unable to rush past Waynesville in Week 3

On the road for a third straight week to start the 2026 football season Friday, Sept. 4, the Hillsboro Indians fell to the host Waynesville Spartans by a 52-13 score. 

The game started an hour later than usual, at 8 p.m., due to the heat advisory as temperatures reached the mid-90s Friday afternoon. 

The Spartans (3-0) were dominant all game, taking only one play to score four of their seven touchdowns, while returning one punt for a touchdown as well. 

The Indians totaled 167 yards of offense, all via running plays. Hillsboro was led by senior Tre Captain, who finished with nine carries for 106 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown and an interception, as he was also the quarterback for part of the game. 

HHS also saw the return of team captain Collin Swackhamer, who was injured in the first quarter of the Week 1 game. Swackhamer played in the first quarter against Waynesville, where he finished with five carries for three yards.

Captain’s touchdown came at the start of the second quarter, as the Indians were trailing 21-0 when they regained possession with one minute left in the first quarter. Facing fourth down, Hillsboro was able to convert a first down for the first time in the game as the second quarter began on a QB sneak play by Swackhamer. On the following play, Captain carried the ball 70 yards to pay dirt for a 21-6 score.

The Indians also had a second touchdown scored in the fourth quarter after a 10-play drive that culminated in a four-yard TD run by Jonathan Malone with 3:50 left in the game. The extra-point attempt by Grant Shepard was good for a 52-13 score in favor of Waynesville, which was ultimately the final score.

That 10-yard drive included an eight-yard run and a 24-yard run by Captain. Quarterback Rush Workman had three carries for a total of 22 yards, including a 19-yard run to the 4-yard line to set up Malone’s touchdown. The drive also included a 10-yard gain and a 17-yard gain by Braylon Mayes, while Malachi Aber gained six yards on the drive. 

The rest of the offense on the night was all in favor of Waynesville, as they scored six touchdowns and a field goal in the first half, then added another touchdown in the third quarter with a running clock. 

In the first half, Waynesville quarterback Gregory Marlow was a perfect 7-for-7 passing for 183 yards and three touchdowns, while he also finished with five carries for 15 yards. Tyce Rutledge finished with four receptions for 123 yards and three touchdowns.  

The Spartans began their high-scoring night by forcing a fumble on the Indians’ first possession and Marlow successfully converting a 19-yard pass to a wide-open Rutledge in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

On their next possession in the first quarter, the Spartans again needed only one play to reach pay dirt, scoring on a pass by Marlow to Levi McMullen, who ran the ball in for a 48-yard score. 

A third touchdown came with a minute left in the first quarter, with a 10-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard run into the end zone by Marlow for the 21-0 score.

Captain intercepted the ball for Hillsboro on the Spartans’ first possession of the second quarter, but the Spartans later responded with another one-play drive, with a short pass by Marlow to Rutledge resulting in a 60-yard touchdown run for a 28-6 score.

On the Spartans’ next possession, Hillsboro’s defense stepped up with some key stops, including a sack by Kaiden Robbins for an 8-yard loss on second-and-9. Sophomore Bennet Post converted a 29-yard field goal attempt for Waynesville to give them a 31-6 lead with 3:20 left in the second quarter.

With 1:50 left in the first half, Waynesville again scored on one play, this time a 34-yard touchdown pass from Marlow to Rutledge. After a three-and-out by Hillsboro, the punt was deflected and caught by McMullen, who ran 24 yards to score the Spartans’ final touchdown of the first half with 17 seconds left on the clock. 

The Spartans added one final touchdown on their second possession of the second half, with Coleman Carmichael, who was in at quarterback, running six yards for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter.

Other unofficial stats for HHS were Mayes finishing with four carries for 37 yards. Jayce Newton also had an interception for the Indians in the third quarter. 

Next for the Indians (0-3) will be their first home game of the 2026 season, as they will play the Warren Warriors (1-2) at Richards Memorial Field with a kickoff at 7 p.m. in Week 4. This Friday in Week 3, Warren lost to the Logan Chieftains, 17-6. 

(Editor’s note: Thank you to Aric Fiscus and Stew Gardner of WSRW 101.5 FM for their assistance with this article.)