‘Tis better to win ugly than lose pretty.
That’s exactly what Hopkins did Friday night while claiming its first O-K Silver Conference football championship in four years with a rain-soaked 20-6 verdict over Kelloggsville in the regular season finale.
The victory, Hopkins’ seventh in a row, lifted its overall season record to 8-1 and served as a prelude to waiting for news Sunday evening about who its opponent in the playoffs will be and where.
The Vikings had been averaging 43 points per game before Friday evening, but a very wet and slippery football just about shut down their usually impressive passing game. It was a bend but do not break defense that came to the rescue, making big plays against a very game and competitive opponent that entered the contest with a 4-4 record.
But, as one longtime Hopkins football observer said, Kelloggsville coach Don Galster always seems to find a way to be competitive and to make things interesting.
The Rockets, in fact, pulled off a shocking opening drive to take a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. On fourth down and eight at their own 33-yard line, punter Cyrie Thomas instead of kicking the ball picked up a first down on a daring run to near midfield. Two left end sweeps by running back Jaevion Willis turned the trick, the last one going for 34 yards.
It was a 69-yard scoring march highlighted by a fake punt and two long sweeps.
It didn’t take long for Hopkins to regroup. Behind the strong running of Ryan Haveman and Colin Weber, the Vikings moved the ball steadily down the field and quarterback Nolan Smith scored from 22 yards out on a keeper. Josh Glascott’s extra point kick hit the crossbar and went over to give the home team a 7-6 lead.
Not long afterward, Bryce Smith tackled Thomas during a botched punt attempt and an angry Thomas was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct to bring the pigskin closer to the Kelloggsville goal line. Hopkins took possession first and goal at the 10.
It was an ugly series, as Smith had to cover his own fumble with third and two, but he rebounded nicely on the next play by throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Lewellyn. Glascott’s kick made it 14-6 and it looked like the playoff-bound team was off and running.
It wasn’t.
The Rockets appeared to be stymied once again and were forced to punt, but Thomas looked as though he was going to run a fake again and at the last minute booted the ball, perhaps for the only time of the evening. Referees ruled that a Hopkins defender was guilty of roughing the kicker, giving Kelloggsville the football first and 10 just past midfield.
This was where the Vikings’ defensive unit ran a clinic on bending, but not breaking.
Buoyed by clutch running from Willis and a pass from QB Jaquereon Johnson to Thomas, the Rockets picked up a couple of first downs. Despite a sack by Drew Weber, who plagued Johnson in his own backfield all night, the visiting ballclub came up with an inside reverse by Chris Nesbitt that brought the ball down to the eight, first and goal with 50 seconds left until intermission.
Johnson threw three consecutive incomplete passes, the last in the middle of the halftime siren.
Dodging a bullet? Bending, but not breaking?
Meanwhile a wind-blown rainstorm challenged both teams for the rest of the ballgame.
Hopkins seemed to move the ball well offensively, but it was plagued by mistakes, most notably one fumble and two interceptions.
Heads-up clutch defensive plays by Drew Weber, Brad Langlois, Carsen DeLeo and Ethan Gilder frustrated Kelloggsville’s attempts to get much going. The Rockets were forced into many fourth down situations, some of which resulted in daring first down plays, some failed to cause turning the ball over on downs, but none resulted in an actual punt.
After both teams suffered sluggish back-and-forth offensive efforts without results, Haveman was able to drop Thomas back at his own 15 in yet another botched punt attempt. Only two plays later, Colin Weber scored from eight yards out for the last points of the night.
The Vikings were able to run out the clock with a ground game in the fourth quarter that was good enough to grind out first downs. Smith took a knee twice to close out the evening, ending a drive in which Hopkins easily could have scored, but instead chose the safer route.
It was the lowest point total for the Vikings, the runner-up coming in a 27-8 victory over Wyoming Godwin Heights, which was the surprising second-place finisher in the O-K Silver.
COVER PHOTO: Coach Cody Francis talks to his team at midfield after its rain-marred 20-6 win over Kelloggsville that clinched the O-K Silver Conference title.
