The Hopkins varsity football team punched its ticket to the post-season playoffs after a one-year hiatus by taking out Fruitport Friday, 27-12.
The victory was the Vikings’ sixth this fall versus one loss.
Hopkins used its trademark tackle-to-tackle rushing offense in the second half to use up plenty of time on the game clock in the third and fourth quarters. The last drive ate up about eight minutes and resulted in the Vikings mounting a 20-6 advantage and forcing the Trojans to take chances.
Hopkins scored first in the ballgame on its opening drive, taking the pigskin 68 yards. A couple of key plays involved drawing Fruitport offside on a fourth down at midfield and a nifty 19-yard pass from QB Christian Smiegel to Cody Benting that brought the ball down to the one. Smiegel took it in himself on the next play.
The homesteading Trojans answered soon afterward on a 45-yard run, but missed the conversion, and the score remained 7-6 until the half.
Blake VanWagner and Zac Wierenga took turns toting the football through the middle of the line and Hopkins ate up almost all the time of the third quarter. The drive was set up by Caden Brown’s interception on about the fifth play of the second half. Van Wagner crossed the goal line from 11 yards out and Reed Owen’s kick widened the gap to eight points.
The Vikings defense stopped Fruitport on downs near midfield and after downing a punt at their own 28, they proceeded to eat up yardage and eight minutes of the fourth quarter. It was Wierenga plunging into the end zone this time, from four yards out with only three and a half minutes left in the ballgame.
This forced the Trojans to go to the air in a hurry, but Austin Schaendorf came up with a pick six of about 35 yards to really put the game out of reach.
Fruitport came up with a desperation 65-yard TD pass in the last two minutes to account for the rest of the scoring.
The defense, led by Cole Schaendorf and a host of Hopkins defenders, managed to hold the host team at bay, except for the two big plays.
Hopkins is assured of a playoff berth because of six victories and it makes up for last year’s 2-7 campaign.
