Defense's effort lifts HWC to win

Harvey-Wells County put together an incredible defensive effort and the offense controlled the ball and clock throughout the game, claiming a 14-7 victory over Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm (E/E/K) at L.C. Loerch Field in Harvey, on Saturday, October 26.

Just how good was the defense? It was vastly improved from their first outing against E/E/K, where the Thunder running game racked up nearly 400 yards on the ground. In this playoff game, the visitors were near 100 yards on the ground, and scored 21 fewer points.

The Hornets defense helped overcome some offensive adversities in the first quarter, as HWC turned the ball over twice and had a botched punt which gave the Thunder excellent field position several times. E/E/K's first four possessions either started in HWC territory or were within four yards of it.

The lone Thunder score came on their second possession, as the ground game took over. Damian Carlson started the drive with a 17-yard run, and then added an 11-yard run. Thunder quarterback Drew Thorpe rushed for eight more before Carlson scored on a 12-yard run off the left side. The kick from Anderson Rodriguez Campos was good, and E/E/K went ahead, 7-0.

The Hornets' next drive ended on a poor punt, giving E/E/K the ball at the HWC 24. A 15-yard penalty thwarted any progression, and the HWC defense held solid. The next Hornet possession ended in an interception and the Thunder once again had the ball at the HWC 32-yard line. A run of nine yards from Ivan Carruth started the drive, but the HWC defense stepped up once again and forced a turnover on downs at the HWC 16.

HWC got on the scoreboard on their first drive of the second quarter. A nine-play drive covering 84 yards was highlighted by a 21-yard run from Christian Mertz and a 27- yard quarterback draw from Tallen Thorson. On 4th-and-12 from the E/E/K 17, Thorson hooked up with Jaxon Feist across the middle for the touchdown. Carter Laber added the kick, and the score was 7-7.

The defenses controlled the remaining time in the second quarter and the team went to their halftime huddles tied at seven each.

The second half was dominated by the Hornet defense. The offense was stout also, though they scored only seven points but controlled the clock using a ground-control game.

HWC's only tally of the second half started with their first drive. HWC used 14 running plays and one pass play to move the ball 65 yards for the score. The longest run play of the drive was a 10-yard burst from Kayl Sieg. The big play was a 18-yard pass from Thorson to Tyler Swang, who stretched out to make an incredible catch at the 2-yard line. Sieg exploded on the next play for the two-yard score, and with the kick from Laber, HWC led, 14-7.

The rest of the half belonged to the defensive unit. The Thunder got just three opportunities in the entire second half and included two drives of six yards each and one drive of negative yardage. E/E/K did experience some penalty issues, but the defensive pressure HWC was getting was undoubtedly responsible for those penalties.

The HWC offense continued to move the ball on the ground and run the clock out. HWC's scoring drive took 8:37 seconds and their final drive ran out the last 6:02 of the game, helping the Hornets secure their first home playoff win in 15 years.

Statistically, HWC ran for 163 yards on 41 carries and were led by Sieg's 65 yards. Thorson threw for just 69 yards, but had three fourth down conversions that kept the game clock ticking and the ball in the Hornets' possession.

Defensively, Sieg led the team with 14 tackles, while Mertz added eight. Mertz and Swang spent a majority of their time in the Thunder backfield, as Mertz had 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack and Swang had 1.5 sacks.

The win moved HWC's win streak to seven games, and they currently sit at 7-3 on the season. The Thunder loss ends their season at 7-3.

The Hornets now seek a bit more revenge, as they travel back to Velva for a 2:00 game on Saturday, November 2. The Aggies won their first matchup of the year, 36-0, but the Hornets have improved immensely since that game.

Class A Playoffs - First Round

HWC 14, Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm 7

E/E/K 7 0 0 0 7

HWC 0 7 7 0 14

First Quarter

E/E/K: Damien Carlson 12 yard run (Anderson Rodriguez Campos kick)

Second Quarter

HWC: Jaxon Feist 17 yard pass from Tallen Thorson (Carter Laber kick)

Third Quarter

HWC: Kayl Sieg 2 yard run (Laber kick)

HWC Statistics

Offense

Passing: Thorson 6-14-69 yards-TD-2 INT

Rushing: Sieg 23-65-TD; Thorson 11-55; Christian Mertz 7-43; Feist 1-0

Receiving: Tyler Swang 2-32; Feist 2-24-TD; Mertz 1-18; Sieg 1-(-5)

Defense

Tackles (unassisted/assisted): Sieg (9-5); Mertz (5-3); Rylend Whetzel (4-2); Easton Schuh (6-0); Nixon Buchmiller (4-1); Swang (1-2); Feist (3-0); Porter Johnson (1-1); Thorson (0-2); Kyson Zerr (2-0); Kiefer Finley (2-0); Andrew Williams (2-0); Frank Richter (1-0)

Sacks: Swang 1.5, Mertz 1, Finley 0.5

Tackles for Loss: Mertz 2.5, Sieg 0.5