Hornets Suffer First KCI Loss
On paper, it looked to be a close game between the Hamilton Hornets and Cardinals in Lawson last Friday night, and that is just how it played out.
Penney took the kickoff and scored on their opening drive. The Hornets began the drive on their own 30 yard line with a first down run by T. C. East. On 2nd and 10 from the Hamilton 40, Jaran Richman hit Telly Harper for a 1st down at the Lawson 37. East ran for 4 yards on 1st down followed by 8 yards for a 1st down at the Cardinal 25. On 2nd and 10, Kyle Elliott ran for 7 yards prior to East's run for a first down to the Lawson 14. After a Cardinal's penalty, Penney had it 1st and goal from the 4. Two runs and an incomplete pass found Hamilton facing a 4th and goal at the 6 yard line. That's when Richman threw a pass to LaTroy Harper who out jumped the defender for the touchdown catch. Brock Swindler's kick gave the Hornets a 7-0 lead 4 minutes and 9 seconds into the game.
Lawson began their first possession on their own 34 yard line. After a first down to the Cardinal 47, Hamilton's defense stiffened and forced a punt. Penney's second possession began on their own 20. A 9 yard run by East and a 20 yard scamper by Richmond led to a first down at the Hamilton 49. That's where the drive stalled and Mason McFall punted the ball to Lawson who started their second possession on the Cardinal 21.
The first quarter ended with Lawson facing a 3rd and 7 at the Hornet 40. The Cardinals would go on to score when Corbin Menke ran the final 2 yards with 7:47 left in the opening half. Cody Glenn's kick tied the game at 7. Penney High's next possession started at the Hamilton 32. On 3rd and 8, Korby Ford made a great catch of a Richman pass for a first down at the Lawson 41. An 8 yard pass completion to LaTroy Harper and a 3 yard blast by East gave the Hornets a first down at the Cardinal 30. A first down pass to LaTroy Harper was good for another first down at the Lawson 15. However, the Cardinals would stop the drive at their own 20 and take over on downs. Penney's defense created another Lawson punt 4 plays later.
Hamilton began this scoring drive at the mid field stripe. It began with a 13 yard run by East, followed by another East run for 3 yards, and a 14 yard run by Elliott to the Cardinal 20. On 3rd and 11, Richman found LaTroy Harper for a first down at the 10. A 5 yard pass reception followed by a 5 yard run, both by East, gave the Hornets their 2nd TD of the game with 42 seconds left in the first half. Swindler's kick made it 14-7. Just when it looked like Penney would have the momentum headed to the locker room, Lawson returned the kickoff to the Hamilton 13 yard line where Derek Dixon made the tackle. On first and 10, Glenn threw a touchdown pass to Corbin Menke with 23 seconds left on the second quarter clock. Glenn's kick tied the score at 14.
The Cardinals opened the second half by returning the kickoff to their own 37. Nine plays later, Lawson took the lead on a 1 yard run by Corbin Menke. The kick was wide right, leaving the Cardinals on top 20-14 with 8:43 remaining in the 3rd quarter. LaTroy Harper returned the subsequent kickoff to the Lawson 44. On 2nd and 11, Richman completed a 10 yard pass to Telly Harper. Korby Ford ran for 4 yards and a first down. Facing a 2nd and 7 at the Cardinal 28, Richman found Korby Ford for the score and 6:27 remaining in the 3rd. Swindler's kick gave the Hornets a 21-20 advantage. Lawson would start their next possession at the Cardinal 40. Four plays later, facing a 1st and 25, Glenn hit Max Ross for the score. Kameren Jenkins ran in the 2-point conversion, giving Lawson a 28-21 lead and 5:01 to go in the 3rd quarter.
The Cardinal's attempt for an on-side kick failed when Hamilton's Caden Brown covered the ball at the Penney 34. An 8 yard run by Elliott, followed by a 1 yard run by East and a 4 yard run by Elliott gave the Hornets a first down at their own 46. After a quarterback sack, Penney was faced with a 2nd and 22. Richman ran for 16 yards making it 3rd and 6. An incomplete pass led to a 4th and 6 pass to LaTroy Harper for a first down at the Lawson 42. On first and ten, the Cardinals intercepted a pass at their own 5 yard line.
The 3rd quarter ended with Lawson looking at a 3rd and 10 at their own 23. After an incomplete pass, the Cardinals were forced to punt. LaTroy Harper weaved his way through the Lawson defenders, returning the punt to the Cardinal 14. East ran 3 yards on first down, Elliott ran 4 yards on 2nd down, and East ran 2 yards on third down. Facing a 4th and 1, East ran to the 4 yard line and a first down. After 2 runs by East, Hamilton was looking at a 3rd and goal at the 3. Richman found Telly Harper on a crossing route in the end zone for the score. Swindler's kick tied the score at 28 and 8:52 left in the game. An excellent kick off by Kenny Pulley allowed the Hornets to tackle the kickoff returner at the Lawson 9 yard line. The Cardinals were able to move the ball to the Penney 29 yard line, but the Hornet defense stiffened and took over on downs at their own 30 after stopping a run for a 1 yard loss and 3 incomplete passes. On 3rd and 1 , Richman hit Ford for a 1st down at the 50 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Telly Harper's catch made it 3rd and 8. Another incomplete pass left Hamilton faced with a 4th down at the Lawson 48 with less than 2 minutes in the game. Richman dropped back to pass and in an attempt to keep the drive alive, threw a pass as he was being tackled which ended up in the hands of the Cardinal's Colton Williams. Williams returned the interception for the winning score and 1:09 remaining. Glenn's kick made the final score 35-28.
The Hornets were unable to record a first down on the subsequent kickoff and turned the ball over on downs at the Penney 26 yard line where the game ended with Lawson in possession of the ball.
Richman threw for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns, completing 16 passes in 26 attempts. T. C. East ran for 85 yards in 20 rushes and 1 TD. Kyle Elliott ran for 37 yards on 8 attempts, Richman rushed 8 times for 29 net yards, and Korby Ford ran the ball twice for 5 yards. Ford caught 3 passes for 65 yards and 1 touchdown, LaTroy Harper snagged 6 balls for 50 yards and a TD, Telly Harper caught 4 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown, East caught 1 pass for 5 yards, and Derek Dixon caught 1 ball for 3 yards. Kenny Pulley and Korby Ford each recorded 8 tackles, Garrett Trosper and Brock Swindler both had 7 tackles (1 each for a loss), Kyle Elliott and T. C. East (1 for a loss) registered 6 tackles apiece, Telly Harper, LaTroy Harper, Richman, and Mason McFall ( 1 sack for a loss) each were credited with 4 tackles, Tyler Trosper and Lane Horinek had 2, and Derek Dixon 1. LaTroy Harper returned 2 kickoffs for 25 yards and 1 punt for 44 yards. Swindler made 4 of 4 extra point kicks and returned 1 kickoff 5 yards. Jacob Roberts and Lane Horinek each covered a kickoff with no return yardage. Despite the loss, the Hornets still have a lot to play for, including a piece of the KCI Conference title and a number 1 seeding in the upcoming District playoffs. The Penney High Hornets, with a record of 5-2 (4-1 in the KCI) will host the North Platte Panthers in another KCI matchup this Friday night. Coach Obert said,"North Platte has a lot of size on both sides of the ball, and two good running backs with different running styles."
