Heights ends season 8-3, best in eight years
Hamilton Heights saw its football season come to an end on Friday, as the host Huskies fell to Class 3A No. 3 Bishop Chatard 41-14 in the semi-finals of Sectional 28.
The Trojans quickly got up 14-0 on Heights during the first six minutes of the first quarter.
“They got on us pretty quick and we didn’t do ourselves any favors,” said Huskies coach Jon Kirschner. “We made some big mistakes in the first half.”
Chatard’s lead increased to 27-0 by halftime. Luke Purichia scored two of those touchdowns on runs.
“Good football teams execute when the other teams make mistakes, and that’s what they did,” said Kirschner.
But the Huskies fought the entire game. They made things interesting in the third quarter by scoring a pair of touchdowns. Trey Ehman made a three-yard scoring run to get Heights on the board with 4:16 left in the period. Chatard’s Jack Weybright answered that with a 25-yard touchdown run.
The coin toss at the start of the Hamilton Heights-Bishop Chatard game. (Reporter photo)
The Huskies had the last word of the period: Bodie Derrer threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Champion with under a minute left in the quarter. Teigan Scoles made both of the extra-point kicks. Heights stayed within 34-14 until late in the fourth, when Weybright scored on a seven-yard run.
Kirschner said his defense deserved credit after the game, noting that it got multiple sacks on the Trojans’ quarterback.
“They had their backs to the wall several times, and they stuck it out,” said Kirschner.
Derrer was 23-of-42 through the air, totaling 201 yards. Cooper Vondersaar made eight of those catches.
Heights finished the season 8-3, its best season in eight years.
“We’ve got 23 juniors coming back next year,” said Kirschner. “We had phenomenal, phenomenal leadership in the senior class this year that took our young guys in the direction they wanted to go.”
BISHOP CHATARD 41, HAMILTON HEIGHTS 10
Score by Quarters
Chatard 14 13 7 7 – 41
Heights 0 0 14 0 – 14
Team Stats BC HH
First Downs 17 12
By Rush 10 3
By Pass 6 9
By Penalty 1 0
Rushes-Yards 39-166 24-38
Yards Passing 153 201
Comp-Att-Int-TD 15-22-0-1 23-40-1-1
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 7-52 6-60
Punts-Average 4-37.0 7-32.0
Heights Scoring
Third Quarter
4:16 – Trey Ehman 3-yard run (Teigan Scoles kick)
0:35 – Tyler Champion 68-yard pass from Bodie Derrer (Scoles kick)
Heights individual stats
Rushing: Ehman 15-32, Derrer 9-6.
Passing: Derrer 23-42-201.
Receiving: Cooper Vondersaar 8-47, Champion 4-95, Jaylyn Pugh 4-26, Ehman 4-21, Evan Tilton 2-17, Owen VanHaaren 1-minus 5.