Hornets beat Aggies, earn home playoff game vs. E/E/K

Harvey-Wells County scored by land and by air, and the Hornet defense forced five turnovers as they defeated Park River Area, 32-6, in the last regular season game of the year on Saturday, Oct. 19, in Park River.

The Hornet defense made sure that the game was never in doubt, as the Aggies' first three plays resulted in two fumbles and two HWC recoveries. Meanwhile, Kayl Sieg finished off a nice opening drive for HWC with a five-yard scoring run and a quick 6-0 lead.

Following the second Aggie turnover, Tallen Thorson connected with Jaxon Feist for 13 yards before keeping the ball and scoring from 15 yards out. Sieg added the two-point run, and HWC led 14-0 after one quarter.

HWC had some turnover issues of their own, as they had three fumbles in the game. The Hornet defense fortunately did not allow the Aggies to take advantage of any of them.

Thorson opened the second quarter with a 54-yard touchdown run, finishing off a six-play, 94-yard drive. Thorson connected with Tyler Swang for 26 yards for the other big play of the drive. Christian Mertz broke through for a blocked punt late in the half, but HWC could not convert on a 4th down-and-12, allowing the Aggies the chance to run out the clock and get to halftime.

Park River chose to throw the ball, in which Thorson quickly stepped in front of the pass for an interception. One play later, Thorson found Feist, who had just enough in his tank to outrun the defense and score on a 68-yard pass play. The PAT failed, but HWC held a 26-0 lead at the half.

The fumble woes continued for Park River to start the third, as they coughed up the ball after just four plays. A HWC holding penalty didn't stop the Hornets, as Sieg took a toss and scored on a 71-yard run. The PAT failed, but moved the score to 32-0. Sieg's score was the only one of the third quarter, as the 30-point differential quickly moved the game along.

The Aggies got on the board midway through the fourth as Carter Oberg rushed three times for 44 yards, including the final one of 19 yards for the Aggie touchdown. The PAT failed and left the final score at 32-6 for HWC.

The win moved the HWC win streak to six games and helped them finish the regular season at 6-3 overall.

The Hornets piled up 296 rushing yards on just 31 carries, and were led by Thorson with 142 and Sieg with 109. Thorson went 5-of-10 for 137 yards through the air, and his leading receiver was Feist with four grabs for 111 yards.

Defensively, Sieg led the team with 11 tackles. The Hornets picked up five turnovers, with Thorson getting a pick and fumble recovery. Mertz had two tackles for loss, and Easton Schuh and Kiefer Finley each recorded quarterback sacks.

The win sealed the #2 spot in regional play and earned the Hornets a home playoff game. HWC took on Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm (EEK) at 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 26, at L.C. Loerch Field in Harvey.

Class A - Region 2 Football

HWC 32, Park River Area 6

HWC 14 12 6 0 32

PRA 0 0 0 6 6

First Quarter

HWC: Kayl Sieg 5 yard run (kick failed)

HWC: Tallen Thorson 15 yard run (Sieg run)

Second Quarter

HWC: Thorson 54 yard run (kick failed)

HWC: Jaxon Feist 68 yard pass from Thorson (run failed)

Third Quarter

HWC: Sieg 71 yard run (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter

Park River Area: Carter Oberg 19 yard run (run failed)

HWC Statistics - Offense

Passing: Thorson 5-10-137 yards-TD; Carter Laber 1-2-0

Rushing: Thorson 8-142-2 TD; Sieg 8-109-2 TD; Kyson Zerr 5-29; Caleb Brock 5-11; Brody Hanson 1-4; Easton Schuh 1-1; Christian Mertz 3-0

Receiving: Feist 4-111-TD; Tyler Swang 1-26; Zerr 1-0

Defense

Tackles (unassisted/assisted): Sieg (4-7); Schuh (5-5); Mertz (5-3); Zerr (4-3); Porter Johnson (4-0); Thorson (2-2); Kiefer Finley (3-1); Rylend Whetzel (2-2); Andrew Williams (1-2); Laber (2-1); Dylan Heitmann (0-3); Tyler Eckart (2-0); Feist (2-0); Frank Richter (2-0); Nixon Buchmiller (1-1); Swang (1-0); Wyatt Lies (1-0); Jacob Anderson (1-0); Isaac Keller (1-0); Trevor Sommer (1-0)

Sacks: Finley, Schuh 1

Tackles for Loss: Mertz 2, Feist and Whetzel 0.5

Interception: Thorson

Fumble Recoveries: Buchmiller, Laber, Swang, Thorson