Sheridan may have a young team this year, but the Blackhawks are starting to grow up.
Friday night at Bud Wright Stadium, Sheridan was in a tough battle with Delphi. The Oracles, a newcomer to the Hoosier Heartland Conference, had just scored with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter and were leading 35-28.
It was up to the Blackhawks to respond, and they did just that, scoring a touchdown and making a two-point conversion to edge out Delphi 36-35. The win keeps Sheridan unbeaten in HHC play at 3-0.
Sophomore Christian Clausen caught a 47-yard reception to get Sheridan into favorable position, then junior Cameron Hovey scored a touchdown on a three-yard run with 26 seconds to go. Now the ‘Hawks had a decision to make: Kick the extra point or go for a two-point conversion.
Wright called a timeout and asked the players what they wanted to do. They all voted to go for two.
“It was their decision,” said Wright. “It was their ball game.”
It was the right call, as Silas DeVaney made the two-point conversion run to push Sheridan ahead. The ‘Hawks then held off one last furious charge by the Oracles to clinch the victory.
“After we got started, we played pretty good,” said Wright. “We’re slow starting for some reason. They come back and won it, so that’s what matters right now.”
All five of the Blackhawks’ touchdowns were scored on short runs. DeVaney made a two-yard scoring run in the first quarter, and got the ball into the end zone from the same distance in the fourth period. In addition to his fourth-quarter score, Hovey ran the ball in from the 6 in the second quarter. Noah Ehrie also scored in the second period, on a two-yard run. Hovey kicked all four extra-point attempts.
Sheridan had awesome offensive numbers, making 31 first downs and totaling 535 yards of offense. The ‘Hawks rushed 73 times for 407 yards, with Hovey gaining 318 yards in 48 runs.
DeVaney completed 5 of 13 passes for 128 yards, with Keenan Warren making three receptions for 73 yards.
Sheridan is 3-1 overall and continues conference play next week by hosting Clinton Prairie. The Gophers are 2-0 in the HHC. Eastern is another unbeaten conference member at 2-0, so the HHC race is currently a three-team affair.
Clinton Prairie beat Tri-Central 47-21 on Friday; the Gophers’ other conference win was a 47-13 victory last week over county rival Clinton Central. Eastern took care of Taylor 49-0 on Friday, this after beating Delphi 28-14 the previous week.
SHERIDAN 36, DELPHI 35
Score by Quarters
Delphi 7 6 14 8 – 35
Sheridan 7 14 0 15 – 36
Team Stats DHS SHS
First Downs 14 31
By Rush 2 26
By Pass 12 4
By Penalty 0 1
Rushes-Yards 17-33 73-407
Yards Passing 57 128
Comp-Att-Int-TD 15-30-0-4 5-13-2-0
Fumbles 1-1 4-1
Penalties-Yards 6-53 3-11
Punts-Average 3-28.3 1-16.0
Sheridan Scoring
First Quarter
1:43 – Silas DeVaney 2-yard run (Cameron Hovey kick)
Second Quarter
7:16 – Hovey 6-yard run (Hovey kick)
3:29 – Noah Ehrie 2-yard run (Hovey kick)
Fourth Quarter
5:24 – DeVaney 2-yard run (Hovey kick)
0:26 – Hovey 3-yard run (DeVaney run)
Sheridan individual stats
Rushing: Hovey 48-318, Bourdon 7-38, DeVaney 12-25, Ehrie 5-19, Peyton Cross 1-7.
Passing: DeVaney 5-13-128.
Receiving: Keenan Warren, 3-73, Christian Clausen 1-47, Gavin Reners 1-8.
Sheridan’s Silas DeVaney runs in for a touchdown during the Blackhawks’ win over Delphi Friday at Bud Wright Stadium. DeVaney would later make a successful two-point conversion run to seal the Sheridan victory. (Si DeVaney III)