Hillsboro Indians win Rotary Bowl over McClain; Hochstuhl ties single-game rushing TD mark

HILLSBORO — There will be some rearranging for the Hillsboro Indians in their trophy case, as they regained possession of the Rotary Bowl trophy due to their performance in Week 10 against rival McClain, defeating the visiting Tigers 41-10 at Richards Memorial Field Friday. 

“That's always a rivalry, and so it's always good to get that back,” Hillsboro head coach Nathan Horne said. “I thought about that game last year, I think, every day for a year. It’s good to end the season on a win.

“It was a good win for us. It's something we can build on. It's been a rough season with a lot of close losses for us, so I was glad to see some of those guys end on a good note. I thought the kids played hard today. We had our share of adversity this year. They battled through it, and I was proud of that.”

The season finale for both the Indians and Tigers saw Hillsboro junior running back Jeven Hochstuhl rush for five touchdowns, tying the Hillsboro single-game mark previously set by Luke Gallimore (Oct. 21, 2016) and Austin Barrett (Sept. 9, 2022). 

Hochstuhl finished the ’24 Rotary Bowl game with 13 carries for 155 yards and the five rushing scores. 

Hochstuhl was an all-around threat his junior season, leading the Indians in rushing with 656 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns on 72 carries, plus he led HHS in receiving yards with 287, he led the team in total touchdowns with 16, and he was Hillsboro’s leader in total yards with 943 yards on offense. 

“Our perimeter game was working real well,” Horne said. “We were running mid-triple and tossing it out there on the edge and running rocket. Once you get those things going, then the counter goes, and it kind of all falls into place. 

“I thought Jeven ran the ball really well. So did Tre [Captain]. I thought Mason [Dumpert] pitched the ball really well on the triple option, and our line just had a great game.”

Hillsboro (2-3, 4-6) reached pay dirt on the first drive of the game, as HHS debuted all-black uniforms with red numbers with their white helmets. HHS totaled 13 plays on their first drive, starting on their own 24-yard line. HHS chipped away at the Tigers’ defense with notable gains of 12 yards by junior QB Mason Dumpert, a rush of 12 yards by Hochstuhl and another 10-yard rush by Hochstuhl. 

HHS finally reached pay dirt on fourth-and-1 from the 2-yard line where Hochstuhl reached the end zone for the 2-yard score with 6:16 left in the opening quarter. The PAT was no good, leaving the Indians ahead 6-0. 

After forcing a punt, the Indians took two plays to add points to their lead, as sophomore Tre Captain raced 76 yards for a touchdown, scoring on a sweep play and racing down the sideline to the end zone for the score. Wesley Bailey kicked the PAT for a 13-0 HHS lead with 3:05 left in the first quarter.

“I thought we had a complete game, probably our best game, as far as defensively and offensively, getting after rush on defense and so forth,” Horne said. “It was a good way to end the season.”

McClain (0-5, 1-9) scored their first points of the game with 9:41 left in the second quarter with a 25-plus-yard field goal by senior Zane Adams for a 13-3 score. 

The scoring drive for the Tigers included a 13-yard pass from freshman Hudson Lovett to Adams, a 20-yard pass and catch from Lovett to Adams, then the duo followed with an 11-yard gain as well. Later in the drive, it was Lovett passing to Adams for a 30-yard gain on first down, setting up the eventual field goal. 

“We didn't do a real good job protecting him, but Hudson's athletic, and he's got a good arm,” McClain head coach Keith Penwell said. “He was able to make some pretty good throws and move the sticks for us a little bit.”

The Indians responded with a third touchdown in the first half, as this time it was a 26-yard run by Hochstuhl with 7:18 left in the second quarter, completing a four-play drive. Bailey made the PAT for a 20-3 lead. 

Hillsboro on the next drive forced a fumble, and it was sophomore Collin Swackhamer recovering the football with 6:15 left in the quarter. 

HHS was back in the end zone three plays later with Hochstuhl scoring his third touchdown of the first half, a 15-yard run on first down for six points with 5:06 left in the quarter. Bailey made another extra-point kick for a 27-3 Indians lead. 

“We knew [Hillsboro’s] two backs and three backs and the quarterback, they had a lot of explosive speed, and we just didn't do a very good job containing them,” Penwell said.

After HHS blocked a punt to get the ball on McClain’s 33-yard line, HHS scored another touchdown before the end of the first half with Hochstuhl running for a 15-yard score with 37.4 left in the quarter. Bailey converted the PAT for a 34-3 lead that stood at halftime. 

McClain come out strong to start the second half with a scoring drive that went eight plays, which included gains of 43 yards on a pass from Lovett to Adams, and later Lovett found senior Riley Cummins for a 27-yard gain on a reception. 

The touchdown was scored on a third-and-goal play from the 7-yard line with Lovett running the ball to the corner of the end zone, extending the ball past the goal line for the touchdown run. The PAT by Adams was good for a 34-10 score. 

Hochstuhl tied the single-game rushing touchdown record with 49 seconds left in the third on an 8-yard run to the end zone. Bailey made the PAT for a 41-10 score. This drive also included a 38-yard run by senior Ryan Burns, gains of 11 and nine yards by Hochstuhl, a 13-yard rush from Captain and a six-yard run by Burns. 

Captain finished the game with five carries for 103 yards and one touchdown, and Burns totaled 11 carries for 66 yards. As a team, the Indians totaled 334 yards rushing and as an offense totaled 360 yards. 

“We have a lot of skill guys coming back, Jeven, and Tre,” Horne said. “We started two sophomores on the line, Kaiden [Robbins] and Jordan Lowe, and then Mason coming back at quarterback, We’ve got to fill a few spots here and there. 

“Zack Brown's another one that played a big role for us this year at receiver and blocked his tail off at receiver. He just gives you everything he's got. He was a huge addition to our defense this year. We’ve got a lot coming back and a lot to build on and look forward to.”

Seniors for the Tigers include: Cam Medley, Zane Adams, Connor McCune, Owen Sykes, Cohen Six, T.D. Matesic, Tanner O’Connor, Riley Cummins, Logan Ritchie, Conner Frazier, Gabriel Gilbert, Dawson McMurry, Zeke Sexton and Jhett Watson. 

“They're great kids to be around,” Penwell said. “They work hard. They're close. Even when we were coming into this week, we practiced hard, so, I mean, they didn't take anything off. They always give their best. 

“I told them, win or lose, your last game is always hard. I mean, unless you move on to another week, eventually it's always hard. Give credit to Hillsboro. They did a great job tonight, but, you know, they're upset too.

“It doesn't matter, win or lose, when you know you're a senior, and this is the last time you’re going to do this, it sinks in right then,” Penwell continued. “I think that they're going to be OK. They have good friendships, are going to move on to basketball and swimming or whatever else they do and get in the weight room, and that’s what they’ll do. I’m proud of them.”

Seniors for the Indians include: Wesley Bailey, Kylan Brown, Ryan Burns, Michael Burns, Nic Burns, Bryson Captain, Jaiden Captain, Carl Carter, Logan Elliott, Ian Fenner and Jamar Young. 

“They meant so much for us. We had a pretty big senior class for us,” Horne said. “Jamar Young, Logan Elliott, Nic, Michael Burns, all those guys, they've been a big part of our program. Jamar and Logan, those guys lived in the weight room and were great leaders for us. Ian Fenner had a great year for us. A lot of good guys, a lot of seniors we’re going to miss.”

Hillsboro finishes the season at 4-6 overall and 2-3 in the Frontier Athletic Conference. McClain finishes at 0-5 in the FAC and 1-9 overall. 

GAME NOTES: Nic Burns broke up a pass in the early stages of the second quarter on third down … Collin Swackhamer had a sack in the second quarter on third down for a loss of 10 yards … Ryan Burns had a sack for the Indians late in the third quarter … HHS had two touchdowns called back due to penalties … Logan Elliott had a tackle for a loss of six yards … McClain recovered an onside kick with 4:33 left in the third quarter … Nic Burns had a sack with 4:55 left in the fourth quarter … McClain’s Jhett Watson had a sack in the fourth quarter … McClain recovered a fumble with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter. 

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