Get fourth straight shutout win & still undefeated
By RICHIE HALL
ARCADIA – The defense of the Hamilton Heights football team has gone from amazing to possibly unprecedented in Huskies history.
At its Homecoming game on Friday, Heights rolled to a 45-0 victory over Twin Lakes, a team that ventured onto the Huskies’ field with a 4-1 record. But after a slow start, Heights put up 28 points in the second quarter, and cruised through the second half to keep its record perfect for the season at 6-0.
Friday’s victory was the fourth consecutive shutout by the Huskies. The last team to score on Heights was North Montgomery, who got a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Huskies’ Week 2 game. Since then, Heights has pitched 16 straight quarters of shutout ball.
Huskies coach Jon Kirschner said there’s no magic formula for his team’s defense: “They’re just aggressive and fast. That’s it,” he said.
“We’re really not giving up,” said Heights senior Dean Mason, who showed that defense can turn into offense when he scored on a 30-yard interception return during the Huskies’ second-quarter blitz. “We might give up a little 15-yard pass here and there, but then we’re going to get it back with a five-yard loss.”
The Heights defense held Twin Lakes to minus 21 yards rushing for the game.
“And that stuff doesn’t develop overnight,” said Kirschner. “That takes work in the offseason, the weight room, on the football field, in practice, the summer trainings and all the things that we do.”
Owen VanHaaren dives into the end zone for a touchdown. (Bob Cross)
The Heights offense did its job as well. It took the Huskies until the end of the first quarter to score, which they did when Tyler Champion caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Bodie Derrer. Teigan Scoles made the extra-point kick, his first of six for the game.
Scoles was busy in the second quarter, kicking four extra points after the four Heights touchdowns. Owen VanHaaren ran in the first score from eight yards, then Derrer took a 15-yard run into the end zone less than a minute later. Mason added his pick six, and just like that, the Huskies led 28-0.
Champion made it 35-0 after taking a Derrer throw 49 yards into the end zone with 4:13 left in the half. Due to the lead, the entire second half was played with a running clock. Scoles nailed a 21-yard field goal in the third quarter, and VanHaaren ran the ball in from three yards in the fourth quarter, with Scoles kicking that extra point.
Derrer had an outstanding game, going 16-for-21 with 223 yards and two touchdowns. Champion had four catches for 89 yards. VanHaaren totaled 103 yards rushing.
Heights plays at Tipton next Friday in the Huskies’ final Hoosier Conference East Division game of the season. Heights is 2-0 in division play.
HAMILTON HEIGHTS 45, TWIN LAKES 0
Score by Quarters
Twin Lakes 0 0 0 0 – 0
Hamilton Heights 7 28 3 7 – 45
Team stats TL HH
First Downs 7 15
By Rush 1 7
By Pass 5 6
By Penalty 1 2
Rushes-Yards 14-minus 21 32-148
Passing Yards 126 223
Comp-Att-Int-TD 9-23-1-0 16-21-0-2
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 10-33 8-85
Punts-Average 2-12.5 1-26.0
Scoring
First Quarter
0:48 – Tyler Champion 22-yard pass from Bodie Derrer (Teigan Scoles kick)
Second Quarter
10:22 – Owen VanHaaren 8-yard run (Scoles kick)
9:23 – Derrer 15-yard run (Scoles kick)
8:07 – Dean Mason 30-yard interception return (Scoles kick)
4:13 – Champion 49-yard pass from Derrer (Scoles kick)
Third Quarter
7:00 – Scoles 21-yard field goal
Fourth Quarter
5:20 – VanHaaren 3-yard run (Scoles kick)
Heights individual stats
Rushing: VanHaaren 20-103, Derrer 8-16, Logan Hickman 2-14, Eric Balcom 1-7, Nathan Flanders 1-7, Drew Woodruff 1-1.
Passing: Derrer 16-21-223.
Receiving: Champion 4-89, Cam Flemming 3-62, Jaylyn Pugh 3-35, Conor Baumann 3-25, Keaton Weaver 2-13, VanHaaren 1-minus 1.