Kingsley-Pierson/River Valley scored four first-half touchdowns, including a 45-yard catch and run on the final play of the half, and went on to defeat Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 40-12 September 27 at Kingsley. The non-district loss dropped the Hawks to 2-3 on the season.
“We weren’t prepared so I’ll take the responsibility for that,” said HMS head coach Jeremiah Delzer. “Obviously, we got beat a little bit on the chalkboard and we got beat a little bit with physicality and we got beat a little bit with effort and we got beat a little bit with technique.” Delzer noted that all those little bits add up to a lot. “We had moments and glimpses and things like that but we’ve just got to find a way of somebody’s got to step up and somebody’s got to make the play and somebody’s got to step up and lead the team to where we want to be because we know we can be a lot better than this and we’re just not finding a way to do it.”
At 2-1 in the District, the Hawks trail 3-0 Gehlen Catholic and MMCRU and Sibley-Ocheyedan who are each 3-1. The Royals beat Sibley-Ocheyedan Friday night. Alta-Aurelia (1-3) picked up it’s first District win Friday night, slipping past South O’Brien. The Wolverines are 0-3 in District play as is Akron-Westfield.
HMS received the opening kickoff but had a pass intercepted. The Panthers cashed in the turnover with a touchdown. They stopped the Hawks on downs before scoring again. Slayton McCarter blocked the PAT kick and the lead was 13-0. On the ensuing poissession HMS had the ball stolen by a KP-RV defender. The Panthers scored on the next play and led 21-0.

The turnovers took their toll. “It’s hard to play defense so much,” said Delzer. “When your defense isn’t getting off the field and you’re always playing defense, it’s pretty tough. We’ve got to find a way to eliminate that.”
The Hawks hung onto the ball and capped off a 67-yard drive with a 12-yard run by Jack Mastbergen to trail 21-6. HMS came up short on the two-point run. The score at the end of the half lifted the Panthers to a 28-6 lead.
KP-RV scored on its opening drive of the second half. The Panthers’ defense got a stop and the offense added one more score. McCarter intercepted a pass to foil the two-point try. HMS then embarked an 80-yard drive. James Gellerman reached paydirt from three yards out but again the two-point run failed. The Hawks forced a punt but their final drive ended with a lost fumble.
Gellerman rushed for 92 yards on 18 attempts. Mastberen carried the ball 15 times for 61 yards and was 9-of-16 passing for 111 yards. McCarter caught three passes for a total of 69 yards. Gellerman gained 25 yards on three pass receptions and recorded nine tackles. Dominic Tripp made six stops and Isaac Schierholz five.
Up Next:
It’s Homecoming at HMS and the Hawks welcome South O’Brien. Delzer shared with his team the message from his former coach who said: You’re not going to remember anything from Homecoming except for if you you won or lost your football game. Said Delzer, “He lost his senior year and he said ‘I don’t even know who I went to the dance with but I do remember losing.’ So that will be the message. That’s who we want to be.”
South O’Brien is coming off a 34-33 double overtime loss at Alta-Aurelia and is still seeking its first win. Said Delzer, “Obviously, South O’Brien’s going to come out – they’re a tough, physical team – and they’re going to try to run the football so we’ve got to find a way to stop it. We’ll have to find a way to put those things aside and do what we need to do to be successful.”
Game time for Homecoming is 7:00 p.m. Friday, October 4 at Hartley.
HMS 0 6 0 6 – 12
KP-RV 7 21 12 0 – 40
First Quarter
6:39 KP-RV – Kevin Wright 12 yard pass from Landon Howe (Skyler Lopez-Perez kick) 0-7
Second Quarter
7:47 KP-RV – Easton Nissen 33 yard pass from Howe (kick blocked) 0-13
7:05 KP-RV – Tyler Koch 42 yard pass from Howe (Koch 2-pt run) 0-21
1:57 HMS – Jack Mastbergen 12 yard run (2-pt run fails) 6-21
0:00 KP-RV – Koch 45 yard pass from Howe (Lopez-Perez kick) 6-28
Third Quarter
9:20 KP-RV – Wright 24 yard pass from Howe (kick failed) 6-34
0:46 KP-RV – Cal Harvey 2 yard run (2-pt pass failed) 6-40
Fourth Quarter
10:23 HMS – James Gellerman 3 yard run (2-pt run fails) 12-40
Rushing: Gellerman 18-92, 1 TD; Mastbergen 15-61, 1 TD; Slayton McCarter 1-15.
Passing: Mastbergen 9-16, 111 yards, 1 int.
Receiving: McCarter 3-69, Gellerman 3-25, Isaac Schierholz 2-16, Jackson Vogt 1-1.
Tackles: Gellerman 9, Dominic Tripp 6, Schierholz 5, Luke Dagel, Alex Billings, Ricky Smith Jr 4, Vogt, Mastbergen, Hunter Daggett 3.
Fumble Recovery: Gellerman.
Interception: McCarter (on 2-pt play).
Punts: Mastbergen 1-35.