Alta-Aurelia wins defensive battle against Hawks
Defense was the order of the day as Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn visited Aurelia for the district opener against Alta-Aurelia. A safety was the only score in the game until early in the fourth quarter. A touchdown by the Warriors with just under 10 minutes left was the final tally in a 9-0 Alta-Aurelia victory.
The stats showed HMS out-gaining the Warriors 197 yards to 163. The Hawks held their hosts to just 70 yards rushing and a little over two yards per carry. Warrior quarterback Camden Reinert threw for 93 yards but completed just eight of his 22 pass attempts. It was his pass to Gavin Sleezer that resulted in a 29 yard catch-and-run play over the middle for the game’s lone touchdown.
“We challenged them to cover man, be man coverage,” said Hawk head coach Jay Eilers. “For the most part I thought our eyes were right to be in position. A couple times we let somebody behind us. We were at least in a recover method and reading eyes and playing the ball in the air. I thought we did a nice job in that area.”
But the back end of the defense needs to work in tandem with the front. Said Eilers, “We wanted to put pressure on their quarterback and I don’t think that pressure got there to the level that we felt like we were able to do it and to the level we expected for us to win a football game.”
HMS forced the Warriors to punt six times in the game but it was one of those punts that set up the first score. The kick rolled out of bounds at the Hawk four yard line. A procedure penalty moved the ball back to the two and on the next play Zarek Napierala tackled quarterback Jack Mastbergen in the end zone.
The play was an example of the Hawks’ struggles to move the ball consistently. Noted Eilers, “When you’re going to be a team that’s going to pound the rock and run the ball, that starts with running the ball and being successful and we’ve just not had that success at the level we need it play in and play out.”
The passing game is also suffering. Added the coach, “A couple times we threw the ball it looked nice but we don’t have enough time to get that ball out. We’ve got guys running free.” He also credited Alta-Aurelia’s defensive approach. “I tip my hat to their coaching staff,” said Eilers. “There was no safety. They were playing cover 0 all night.”
Aiden Espeland intercepted a pass for the Hawks but they gave the ball away twice on fumbles. Espeland equaled Ethan Wiersma as each recorded 4.5 tackles, second only to Jr Araiza’s 5.5. Araiza also led the Hawk offense with 101 yards rushing on 19 carries.
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HMS looks forward to some home cooking as it hosts MMCRU on Friday night. “It will be great to play at home,” said Eilers. “I know our kids will be excited about it. These kids work their tail off. I know they deserve to have a great crowd and I know there will be.” The Royals rushed for three touchdowns and threw for two more in a 34-27 home win over Gehlen Catholic last Friday. They join Akron-Westfield and Alta-Aurelia at 1-0 in Class A District 1. “MMCRU’s offense is drastically improved,” observed the HMS coach. “They’ve got multiple skill players. They’ve got a running back that runs very hard. Their quarterback does a tremendous job in running the ball and throwing the ball.” Eilers sees similarities between the Royals and the team that HMS just faced. “They’re going to be able to spread you out,” he noted. “They’re going to pick and choose who they want to go after and guys that they want to get the ball in their hands. They have playmakers. They have some nice kids with the ball in their hands. We’ll have to make sure that, defensively, we’re hitting our drops, our eyes are right and we’ve got to know where their best players are all night long.”
Game time is 7:00 p.m. Friday, September 8 at Hartley.
HMS 0 0 0 0 – 0
A-A 0 2 0 7 – 9
Second Quarter
6:30 A-A – Safety – Zarek Napierala tackle in end zone 0-2
Fourth Quarter
9:45 WS – Gavin Sleezer 29 yard pass from Camden Reinert (Joe White kick) 0-9
Rushing: Jr Araiza 19-101, Jack Mastbergen 14-49, Ethan Wiersma 7-13, Aidan Espeland 1-2.
Passing: Mastbergen 3-7, 32 yards.
Receiving: Jayden Leth 1-12, Isaac Schierholz 1-10, Slayton McCarter 1-10.
Leading Tacklers: Araiza 5.5 (5 solos), Espeland 4.5 (4), Wiersma 4.5 (3), Bryce Ortega 3.5 (2), David Wetrich 3 (2), McCarter 2.5 (1), Evan Eilers 2.5 (2).
Interception: Espeland 1 (0 return yards).
Kickoff returns: Araiza 1-8, Mastbergen 1-7.
Kickoffs: T.J. Jans 1-57.
Punts: Jans 3-95 (31.7 avg).