It was billed by some as an early-season showdown for the O-K Silver Conference football title, but Hopkins passed the test with flying colors by taking a surprisingly easy 32-6 victory Friday night.
The Vikings, playing in only the first of three home contests this season, hiked their overall record to 3-0 and 1-0 in league play. Their strongest competition for the Silver crown indeed was Belding in a nail-biter. And both teams qualified for the playoffs a year ago.
But this time Hopkins scored the first three touchdowns and was enjoying an 18-0 advantage at the half.
Matt Reynolds opened the scoring in the first quarter with an eight-yard run. He added two more TD runs in the second period from three and nine yards out.
Nathan Tew tallied the longest of six-point plays for the evening with a 58-yard gallop to pay dirt in the third quarter and junior quarterback Trevor Smith went in from three yards away later in the third period to close out all of the scoring.
If there was one thing negative about the performance, it was the stubborn problem of points after touchdowns. The Vikings claimed only one two-point conversions and failed twice to kick an extra points.
Junior Colin Weber rushed 14 times for 131 yards, Reynolds picked up 115 with three TDs. Tew had just one run for the 58-yard touchdown.
Linemen Drew Weber and Ethan Gilder shared honors of most tackled with seven apiece and Smith had four. Kyle Pierce came up with only tackle for a loss, but the Vikings yielded ponly six Belding first downs.
The Vikings’ ground game ate up 424 yards as a team for the evening with 21 first downs.
Hopkins this year will play three O-K Silver Conference opponents twice because three other league members, Wyoming Lee, Calvin Christian and NorthPointe Christian, all have elected to play independent football schedules against smaller schools.
The Vikings, coached by Cody Francis, will continue their quest for a second straight Silver crown next Friday against Wyoming Godwin Heights.
