Hopkins is only one victory shy of a guaranteed post-season playoff berth on the gridiron.
The high-octane Vikings’ offense annihilated visiting nonleague opponent Buchanan 55-0 Friday evening to move its season record to 5-1 overall. If they win just one of their last three games, they’re in automatically for their first playoff appearance since 2014. And if they can get past Calvin Christian, Wyoming Lee and Kelloggsville in all three remaining games, they’ll capture their first O-K Silver championship in four years.
This “born again” season has been made possible by an offense that has scored 254 points in the first six games, an average of more than 42 per contest. It has put at least 28 points 0n the scoreboard in every encounter.
Coach Cody Francis’ outfit wasted no time at all in delivering fatal blows to the visiting Bucks. Quarterback Nolan Smith hooked up with Cole Marschall for a 32-yard scoring strike on the seventh play of a 59-yard drive to start the ballgame.
Buchanan then was held to a three and out, featuring a nifty five-yard sack by Ryan Haveman, and Colin Weber returned the ensuing punt to the 39-yard line of the Bucks. Smith then lofted a pass to wide receiver Hunter Lewellyn, who took the pigskin down to the one-yard line. The same aerial duo finished the job from a yard out for six points on the next play and Josh Glascott booted the first of four successful PATs to make it 13-0.
With the game less than five minutes old, Smith already had picked up 71 yards passing with two touchdowns.
Haveman, Drew Weber and Drew VanDenBurg came up with sacks in the next series , forcing the second of many punts for the evening by Will Grounds. Colin Weber scored on a 56-yard TD gallop on the first play from the line of scrimmage, but it was called back by a holding penalty. Otherwise, things would have even more miserable for Buchanan.
After the Vikings coughed up the football at their own 40 on a pass interception, their much-maligned defensive unit came through and Drew Weber sacked quarterback Gannon Kutemeier at midfield, forcing the Buck’s third punt of the night. Marschall scored his second TD of the contest on the first play from scrimmage, rambling 62 yards on a sweep.
Then early in the second quarter, Haveman took a direct snap from the single wing and refused to be brought down on a bruising 19-yard run in which he did a fine imitation of a bulldozer. Just moments later, Colin Weber fooled the entire Buchanan secondary by tossing a halfback TD pass covering 50 yards to a very lonely Marschall.
So the game was not even 15 minutes old and Hopkins was in command of a 34-0 lead on five touchdowns and one other called back by penalty.
Brad Langlois set up the sixth legitimate TD with a defensive sack, and shortly afterward Marschall scored his fourth TD of the evening on a 30-yard run. Smith tossed a surprise two-point conversion pass to Drew Weber, to make it official that the entire second half would be played under the rules of a running clack. The Vikings enjoyed a 42-0 cushion at intermission.
Ethan Gilder recovered a fumble at the enemy 35, but Hopkins fumbled it back two plays later. However, Zack Szubinski scored from 55 yards out at the 5:09 mark to make it 49-0.
The Bucks, who garnered only one first down in the entire first half, finally mounted a scoring threat late in the third and early in the fourth period. Kutemeier, filling in for injured regular starting QB Brandon Rogers, clicked on a couple of long passes, one of 48 yards to Carter Harrington and another of 33 yards to Gavin Fazi at the three.
But Buchanan was backed up to the eight with an illegal procedure penalty and four incomplete passes subsequently caused them to turn the ball over on downs.
The Vikings’ final score of the evening occurred with just 2:59 remaining when defensive back Hunter Braford returned a pass interception 26 yards.
Hopkins’ defense limited Buchanan’s ground game to minus 39 yards and the Bucks recorded only three first downs, all on passing. Marschall, besides tallying four TDs, had 144 yards rushing and Smith passed for 108 yards and the Vikings racked up more than 500 yards in total offense.
Hopkins will be on the road at Calvin Christian and Wyoming Lee the next two Fridays and then will return to the home field Friday, Oct. 19, for a contest against Kelloggsville.
