Hillsboro wins Rotary Bowl over McClain for 7th straight season
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO — The Hillsboro Indians put together a game plan of mostly running the football, with a few passes mixed in that ultimately allowed the home team to break away during the 2022 Rotary Bowl against the McClain Tigers.
The Indians (1-4, 4-6) took the lead near the end of the first half with a 75-yard touchdown, lost the lead in the third quarter, but took control from the 5:04 mark of the third and never looked back, as they won the Rotary Bowl by a 42-21 score, keeping the trophy at Hillsboro High School for a seventh consecutive season.
The win by the Indians saw HHS outgain the Tigers on offense, 334-214 yards.
“We turned it on in the fourth quarter. The kids have been working hard all year, running and being conditioned, and it paid off today,” HHS head coach Nathan Horne said. “It was good to tell them that and good to see that. The offense was clicking, and the defense had some good stops there in the fourth quarter. Everything kind of came together then at the end of the game.
“It’s always nice to beat your county rival. We were looking at this game and thought it could be a rough situation if we lost to a 16 seed, so I didn’t want to end that way. It’s a great win for these guys, these younger guys. It’s a good day to be an Indian.”
A big part of the win was the Indians’ passing game, as freshman quarterback Preston Fauber was 5-of-5 for 141 yards with two touchdown passes. He also had six carries for 16 yards.
Catching those five passes included Nic Burns with a touchdown that went for 75 yards. Senior Cam Smart, in his return to the field from injury for the first time since Week 2, had a reception; senior Travis Ross, also returning from injury, caught two passes; and Dom Smart had one catch.
“I want to give a shoutout to Preston. Preston had a heck of a game today as a freshman throwing the ball and mixing up the option,” Horne said. “He got a cut on his eye right there in the game, then he gutted it out and came back in, so I was proud of him for that.”
The Indians had a balanced rushing attack, as Austin Barrett totaled 16 carries for 77 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, while Dom Smart totaled six carries for 60 yards. Ross finished with five carries for 43 yards, and Cam Smart totaled one carry for four yards.
“Jeven [Hochstuhl] and Dom have been sharing some time. Travis Ross as a senior came back from a broken hand and played today for us,” Horne said of the rushing attack of Hillsboro. “I gave him all the time at that slot, so then Jeven and Dom split time. Jeven played the first half, then Dom played the second half, and he just went on a tear. He was running the ball, just determined not to be tackled, and caught a ball in the end zone there as well.
“He had a great game, and I was glad to see him have that game. Jeven’s a freshman, Dom’s a sophomore. They’ve really taken a liking to the weights. Jeven got 210 yesterday at the bench, and Dom is benching over 225. Those guys are young, and they’re going to continue to get stronger, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to.”
McClain (0-5, 4-6) was led in rushing by Andrew Potts with 22 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns, as he scored two touchdown runs. Kaden Penwell — playing quarterback — finished with 17 carries for 85 yards and one touchdown run. Emerson Yates had the Tigers’ lone reception for five yards.
As for how the Rotary Bowl played out, it started with some trickery by the visiting Tigers, as they began the Frontier Athletic Conference game by recovering a squib kick to start the game.
“We’d seen that on film. We knew that they did that. They just came right at us and deflected off his leg,” Horne said. “They squib, it wasn’t really an onside, so it’s coming at a high velocity. Just one of things, it bounced their way. That was kind of one of those shocker-type deals. The kids were able to respond and to bounce back and score the next drive, so it made everybody relax a little bit.”
The Tigers took advantage of the recovery by Penwell as the offense took the field and ran 13 consecutive running plays, resulting in a third-and-goal 1-yard touchdown run by Penwell with 5:16 left in the opening quarter. The PAT by Seth Weller was good for a 7-0 McClain lead.
HHS responded with a touchdown on the ensuing drive with Jeven Hochstuhl scoring the touchdown. The PAT by Nick Turner tied the score at 7-7.
McClain regained the lead four plays later when Potts rushed for a 42-yard touchdown with 28.5 left in the first quarter. Weller’s PAT was good, putting McClain in front, 14-7.
The next drive was Hillsboro’s turn to return to the end zone with a 10-play drive which saw Barrett score on second-and-goal from the 6-yard line with 8:19 left in the second quarter. The PAT was no good, leaving the Tigers ahead, 14-13.
Hillsboro eventually took the lead near halftime when Fauber found Nic Burns for a 75-yard touchdown reception with Smart catching the pass in single coverage and racing to the end zone with 26.1 left on the second-quarter clock. Turner’s PAT was good for a 20-14 Indians lead.
When the third quarter began and McClain had possession of the ball, they scored on the first drive of the quarter when Potts scored from eight yards out on second down with 7:31 left on the clock. Weller made his third straight PAT for a Tigers lead of 21-20.
Not to be outdone, the offense of the Indians responded with more points of their own. After starting the drive from their own 39-yard line, it was a 36-yard run by Dom Smart that lifted the Indians into the lead with 5:04 left in the third quarter. HHS went for a 2-point conversion as Fauber passed to CJ Storer for the two points and a 28-21 lead.
After forcing a McClain punt, the Indians added another touchdown to their total with 11:12 left in the fourth quarter when Smart battled his way with brute force to the end zone, breaking tackle attempts and stretching out for the touchdown rush of 17 yards. Turner made the PAT for a 35-21 lead.
Following a turnover on downs and Hillsboro starting their next drive on the McClain 19-yard line, it was Dom Smart catching an 11-yard pass from Fauber with 4:13 left in the game for the final touchdown of the game. Turner’s PAT left Hillsboro ahead by the final 42-21 score.
The HHS defense had one sack on the night, and it came in the final drive of the game by Gary Reno. McClain had one sack in the game as well, by Conner Frazier. Cade Sponcil led the Tigers with 10 solo tackles, and for HHS, it was Barrett and Jack Wagoner with five solo tackles each.
As for the OHSAA Playoffs, unofficially the Indians could be a No. 14 seed in Division III, Region 12, according to joeeitel.com. When it comes to McClain, unofficially Joe Eitel has them listed as mathematically eliminated, missing the playoffs by one spot with a No. 17 ranking in Division IV, Region 16.
The official playoff rankings will be released on Sunday, pending the completion of the statewide schedule.
“The top eight teams are really usually good teams, full of juniors and seniors. It is who it is, whoever we play. We’re going to use this week to get better, to work on things we need to work on moving into next year and give it a shot when we play whoever we play,” Horne said. “We’ve got a young team. I’m going to be positive with them. That’s why you play the game. It’s an extra week of practice, an extra week to look at things and how we’re going to be next year, and then enjoy the playoffs ad being there.
“Now we’ve been there, so we can say we’ve been there. We’re going to be underdogs, no doubt about that. We’ll just give it a shot.”
The Indians (1-4, 4-6) took the lead near the end of the first half with a 75-yard touchdown, lost the lead in the third quarter, but took control from the 5:04 mark of the third and never looked back, as they won the Rotary Bowl by a 42-21 score, keeping the trophy at Hillsboro High School for a seventh consecutive season.
The win by the Indians saw HHS outgain the Tigers on offense, 334-214 yards.
“We turned it on in the fourth quarter. The kids have been working hard all year, running and being conditioned, and it paid off today,” HHS head coach Nathan Horne said. “It was good to tell them that and good to see that. The offense was clicking, and the defense had some good stops there in the fourth quarter. Everything kind of came together then at the end of the game.
“It’s always nice to beat your county rival. We were looking at this game and thought it could be a rough situation if we lost to a 16 seed, so I didn’t want to end that way. It’s a great win for these guys, these younger guys. It’s a good day to be an Indian.”
A big part of the win was the Indians’ passing game, as freshman quarterback Preston Fauber was 5-of-5 for 141 yards with two touchdown passes. He also had six carries for 16 yards.
Catching those five passes included Nic Burns with a touchdown that went for 75 yards. Senior Cam Smart, in his return to the field from injury for the first time since Week 2, had a reception; senior Travis Ross, also returning from injury, caught two passes; and Dom Smart had one catch.
“I want to give a shoutout to Preston. Preston had a heck of a game today as a freshman throwing the ball and mixing up the option,” Horne said. “He got a cut on his eye right there in the game, then he gutted it out and came back in, so I was proud of him for that.”
The Indians had a balanced rushing attack, as Austin Barrett totaled 16 carries for 77 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, while Dom Smart totaled six carries for 60 yards. Ross finished with five carries for 43 yards, and Cam Smart totaled one carry for four yards.
“Jeven [Hochstuhl] and Dom have been sharing some time. Travis Ross as a senior came back from a broken hand and played today for us,” Horne said of the rushing attack of Hillsboro. “I gave him all the time at that slot, so then Jeven and Dom split time. Jeven played the first half, then Dom played the second half, and he just went on a tear. He was running the ball, just determined not to be tackled, and caught a ball in the end zone there as well.
“He had a great game, and I was glad to see him have that game. Jeven’s a freshman, Dom’s a sophomore. They’ve really taken a liking to the weights. Jeven got 210 yesterday at the bench, and Dom is benching over 225. Those guys are young, and they’re going to continue to get stronger, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to.”
McClain (0-5, 4-6) was led in rushing by Andrew Potts with 22 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns, as he scored two touchdown runs. Kaden Penwell — playing quarterback — finished with 17 carries for 85 yards and one touchdown run. Emerson Yates had the Tigers’ lone reception for five yards.
As for how the Rotary Bowl played out, it started with some trickery by the visiting Tigers, as they began the Frontier Athletic Conference game by recovering a squib kick to start the game.
“We’d seen that on film. We knew that they did that. They just came right at us and deflected off his leg,” Horne said. “They squib, it wasn’t really an onside, so it’s coming at a high velocity. Just one of things, it bounced their way. That was kind of one of those shocker-type deals. The kids were able to respond and to bounce back and score the next drive, so it made everybody relax a little bit.”
The Tigers took advantage of the recovery by Penwell as the offense took the field and ran 13 consecutive running plays, resulting in a third-and-goal 1-yard touchdown run by Penwell with 5:16 left in the opening quarter. The PAT by Seth Weller was good for a 7-0 McClain lead.
HHS responded with a touchdown on the ensuing drive with Jeven Hochstuhl scoring the touchdown. The PAT by Nick Turner tied the score at 7-7.
McClain regained the lead four plays later when Potts rushed for a 42-yard touchdown with 28.5 left in the first quarter. Weller’s PAT was good, putting McClain in front, 14-7.
The next drive was Hillsboro’s turn to return to the end zone with a 10-play drive which saw Barrett score on second-and-goal from the 6-yard line with 8:19 left in the second quarter. The PAT was no good, leaving the Tigers ahead, 14-13.
Hillsboro eventually took the lead near halftime when Fauber found Nic Burns for a 75-yard touchdown reception with Smart catching the pass in single coverage and racing to the end zone with 26.1 left on the second-quarter clock. Turner’s PAT was good for a 20-14 Indians lead.
When the third quarter began and McClain had possession of the ball, they scored on the first drive of the quarter when Potts scored from eight yards out on second down with 7:31 left on the clock. Weller made his third straight PAT for a Tigers lead of 21-20.
Not to be outdone, the offense of the Indians responded with more points of their own. After starting the drive from their own 39-yard line, it was a 36-yard run by Dom Smart that lifted the Indians into the lead with 5:04 left in the third quarter. HHS went for a 2-point conversion as Fauber passed to CJ Storer for the two points and a 28-21 lead.
After forcing a McClain punt, the Indians added another touchdown to their total with 11:12 left in the fourth quarter when Smart battled his way with brute force to the end zone, breaking tackle attempts and stretching out for the touchdown rush of 17 yards. Turner made the PAT for a 35-21 lead.
Following a turnover on downs and Hillsboro starting their next drive on the McClain 19-yard line, it was Dom Smart catching an 11-yard pass from Fauber with 4:13 left in the game for the final touchdown of the game. Turner’s PAT left Hillsboro ahead by the final 42-21 score.
The HHS defense had one sack on the night, and it came in the final drive of the game by Gary Reno. McClain had one sack in the game as well, by Conner Frazier. Cade Sponcil led the Tigers with 10 solo tackles, and for HHS, it was Barrett and Jack Wagoner with five solo tackles each.
As for the OHSAA Playoffs, unofficially the Indians could be a No. 14 seed in Division III, Region 12, according to joeeitel.com. When it comes to McClain, unofficially Joe Eitel has them listed as mathematically eliminated, missing the playoffs by one spot with a No. 17 ranking in Division IV, Region 16.
The official playoff rankings will be released on Sunday, pending the completion of the statewide schedule.
“The top eight teams are really usually good teams, full of juniors and seniors. It is who it is, whoever we play. We’re going to use this week to get better, to work on things we need to work on moving into next year and give it a shot when we play whoever we play,” Horne said. “We’ve got a young team. I’m going to be positive with them. That’s why you play the game. It’s an extra week of practice, an extra week to look at things and how we’re going to be next year, and then enjoy the playoffs ad being there.
“Now we’ve been there, so we can say we’ve been there. We’re going to be underdogs, no doubt about that. We’ll just give it a shot.”