West Hancock took a first playoff step toward defending its state championship by defeating Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn 65-27 in a Class A First Round playoff game played October 25 at Britt. The Eagles scored on six straight possessions in the first half and the first three times they had the ball in the second half. On three separate occasions after HMS scored the Eagles returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. West Hancock improved to 9-0 while the Hawks ended the season at 3-6.
“Obviously, special teams were a big issue and then they found an exploit on defense,” said HMS head coach Jeremiah Delzer. “It was hard to make adjustments because we had a whole bunch of guys out and we couldn’t really get guys to where we needed them to be so we were kind of limited and they found it and exploited it. But 27 points is kind of where we wanted to be. We told them ‘Let’s keep it low scoring and see what happens in the end.’ Obviously, that didn’t happen.”
The Hawks were able to exploit something in the West Hancock defense as quarterback Jack Mastbergen threw for a school record 301 yards and Slayton McCarter tied a school record with 137 receiving yards in a playoff game. Both of those records are unofficial.
McCarter caught touchdown passes of 27 and 63 yards and Jackson Vogt was also on the receiving end of one of Mastbergen’s three scoring tosses, this one covering eight yards. The final HMS touchdown came on a Blake Meendering run of six yards. Mastbergen was the Hawks’ leading rusher with 118 yards.
On the defensive side, Meendering recorded four tackles and Vogt intercepted a pass. Isaac Schierholz and Mastbergen each made three tackles.
Despite the big deficit, HMS kept battling. The Hawks scored their final touchdown with just over two minutes left in the game. “We’re proud of everybody,” said Delzer. “We were so banged up. (West Hancock) is a really well-coached and talented team who was really physical and we didn’t really match that. That’s kind of the way it goes when we were limited.”

Delzer was asked what he saw from this group that made him the most proud as he looks back on his first season as head coach. “Just the growth from everybody, everybody’s buy-in and wanting to be there, and how much we grew up and did things the right way,” he responded. “I’ve got a whole bunch of really good kids who want to do things the right way. That’s going to help and serve us down the road. We, unfortunately, didn’t see the fruits of that labor this year, but I told the seniors they should be proud because they started something and we’re going to start doing this thing the right way and it’s just going to continue to grow and grow.”
This year’s senior group includes James Gellerman, Damion Hansen, Jayden Leth, Mastbergen, McCarter, Meendering and Dominic Tripp. Delzer said he appreciated in them “a lot of buy-in and wanting to be there and fighting their hardest every single time they’re on the field.” The coach added, “There are a lot of guys out there that, if I were ever in a street fight, that’s who I would want to be with. Because I know that they’d have my back and I’d have theirs and they’re going to go to the bitter end. They’re some of the toughest guys I’ve ever met.”
HMS 7 8 6 6 – 27
WH 20 22 23 0 – 65
First Quarter
7:27 WH – Brady Bixel 1 yard run (Zach Beukema kick) 0-7
2:51 WH – Bixel 72 yard run (Beukema kick) 0-14
1:05 HMS – Slayton McCarter 27 yard pass from Jack Mastbergen (Mattis Octmann kick) 7-14
0:53 WH – Teague Smith 80 yard kickoff return (kick failed) 7-20
Second Quarter
9:47 WH – Gustavo Gomez 66 yard run (conversion failed) 7-26
8:23 HMS – Jackson Vogt 8 yard pass from Mastbergen (James Gellerman 2-pt. run) 15-26
8:09 WH – Smith 84 yard kickoff return (Bixel 2-pt. run) 15-34
4:37 WH – Bixel 30 yard run (Bixel 2-pt. Run) 15-42
Third Quarter
10:21 WH – Bixel 44 yard run (Creighton Kelly 2-pt. run) 15-50
9:28 HMS – McCarter 63 yard pass from Mastbergen (2-pt. pass fails) 21-50
9:16 WH – Bixel 82 yard kickoff return (Bixel 2-pt. Run) 21-58
4:48 WH – Gomez 68 yard run (Beukema kick) 21-65
Fourth Quarter
2:12 HMS – Blake Meendering 6 yard run (2-pt run fails) 27-65
Rushing: Mastbergen 21-118; Meendering 4-15, 1 TD; Gellerman 4-8; Jayden Leth 1-6.
Passing: Mastbergen 23-38, 301 yards, 3 TD, 1 int; Gellerman 3-3, 3 yards.
Receiving: McCarter 7-137, 2 TD; Isaac Schierholz 7-54; Vogt 6-41, 1 TD; Leth 2-36; Gellerman 4-33.
Tackles: Meendering 4, Schierholz, Mastbergen 3, Vogt, Billings 2, Riley Wiersma 1.
Interception: Vogt.
Kick returns: Vogt 3-18, Gellerman 2-16.
Punts: Mastbergen 4-128 (32 yd. avg.).