Hesston hands Hillsboro district loss
Tough-break Trojans help Swathers to 28-12 victory
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Christmas is normally celebrated in December.
Unless you're the Hesston Swathers, that is.
They can celebrate it at least twice after Friday night's meeting with the hosting Trojans.
The Swathers took advantage of the Trojans' (4-3, 1-1 district) mistakes to swipe a 28-12 victory, dealing Hillsboro its first loss of district play.
"We got complacent and I think we got to the point on both sides of the ball where we were waiting on things to happen," a disappointed Trojan coach Len Coryea said. "I see two or three things we need to change for next week that got exploited on us tonight."
That all started with mental mistakes and turnovers where the Trojans gave Hesston more than enough to do them in.
It was hardly the Swather offense that killed the Trojans with 281 yards total.
At the same time, Hillsboro couldn't get anything going offensively, except for the tandem of quarterback Josh Boese and Troy Frick.
Boese threw for 164 yards on 9-for-25 with a game-high 116 yards going to Frick.
Hillsboro could have at least limited the Swathers to a field goal the opening drive of the game, had it been able to keep from jumping offsides.
Instead, Hesston gobbled up 10:00 of the first quarter, drawing the Trojans offsides on third-and-five and fourth-and-five.
Finally, with 2:00 left in the first quarter, Kevin Roulhac rumbled up the middle for a one-yard touchdown to give the Swathers a 7-0 lead.
Missed opportunities and tough breaks have been the story for the Trojans this season and they continued with Hillsboro having its opening drive stall at the Hesston 33.
But the Trojans got a break they could cash in on with the Swathers next drive.
With Hesston pinned at their own 27, Swather quarterback Andy Schmidt fumbled.
Wade Wiebert pounced on the loose ball to set the Trojans up with their best field position of the night at the Hesston 28.
Facing fourth-and-seven at the Swather 25, Boese went deep for Frick for a 19-yard completion to give Hillsboro first-and-goal at the five.
Two plays later, Boese slipped into the end zone to allow Hillsboro to tie the game.
David Funk's PAT kick was blocked forcing the Trojans to battle uphill the rest of the game.
The Trojans got another break on the Swathers third possession with another fumble, this time recovered by Matt Brown.
Hillsboro gave the ball back to Hesston right away with Boese losing it on first down.
Neither team could get much going the rest of the first half with the Swathers leading at the break, 7-6.
Reed Hammond burned Hillsboro, rushing for 157 yards with 55 coming on a touchdown run that put the Swathers up 14-6 with 3:03 gone by in the third quarter.
The Trojans had an answer right away with Boese hitting Frick on fourth down for a 45-yard touchdown.
Hillsboro had another shot at tying the game, going for the two-point conversion.
Boese's pass fell incomplete, and the Trojans were still down 14-12, but not out just yet.
Not until the ensuing kick off, that is.
Hammond bolted right down the Swather sideline 86 yards for the score, taking the life right out of the Trojans.
"That crushed us," Coryea said of the kick return. "They have returned their sideline all year on a crossing and we knew that. Our guys just stayed in their lanes. I don't know what to say."
The Trojans looked like a beaten team after the kickoff, making it past midfield once the final 16:49 and picking up just 216 yards total offense.
Schmidt scored the final touchdown with 10:35 left in the game with a three-yard quarterback keeper.
The Trojans face a must-win game Friday night when they travel to Marion for county bragging rights at 7 p.m.
