No. 6 Titans outlasts South Hamilton, 21-6
There’s a saying in the football world: Wins are like girlfriends, and not all of them will be pretty.
The meaning behind the phrase is that no great team is immune to playing in close games. However, it is great teams who prevail, even when things don’t exactly go their way.
When their collective backs were put against the wall, the South Central Calhoun football team pushed back against that adversity and ultimately came out on top when the clock read nothing but zeroes.
That’s what happened with the Titans, who overcame an early first half deficit to down South Hamilton, 21-6, in a Class 1A-District 2 matchup held this past Friday evening at the SCC High School Football Field in Lake City.
After trailing for the first time so far this season, SCC scored 21 unanswered points through mental toughness, winning the war of attrition in the trenches and using the speed of its backfield to remain unbeaten at 6-0 overall with a 2-0 mark in district play. Through sheer willpower and grit, SCC is now only one of nine teams left in Class 1A with an unblemished record.
The Titans also snapped the Hawks’ three-game winning streak, as South Hamilton dipped down to 1-1 in district and 3-3 overall.
According to SCC head football Bryan Case, South Hamilton’s physical style of play was the test that his team needed.
“This wasn't our prettiest game, but we're happy to be walking away with the victory,” Case said, following the victory. “South Hamilton came in here and gave us all we could handle and really took it to us in the first quarter, but in the end, our kids rallied through the adversity and did just enough to put us on top.”
“We needed a game like this,” Case added. “We needed to prove to ourselves that we could play four full quarters with a physical football team. I'm proud of our guys. Now, we need to put this one behind us and move forward.”
Next up for the Titans will be their final road trip of the regular season, taking on Madrid at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Madrid Junior High and High School Athletic Complex. The Tigers (1-5, 1-1 in district) routed Eagle Grove, 35-0 last Friday at home.
Madrid’s win over the Eagles was their first victory since Oct. 13, 2017.
Keep up with the game on The Graphic-Advocate’s Facebook page and on Twitter (@Tyler_Liger and @Graphic-Advocate).
Things didn’t go well for the Titans early on in the game, as South Hamilton pinned SCC deep in their own territory. The Hawks then took advantage of their short field situation at the tail end of the first quarter, churning out chunks of yardage before running back Trevor Thompson rolled into the endzone from seven yards out with 4:16 to go in the initial period.
Despite the early score, South Hamilton’s point after attempt failed, leaving the Titans at a manageable 6-0 disadvantage. It was the first time that the Titans had played from behind so far into their 2019 campaign.
This deficit would hang over the purple clad warriors for the rest of the first quarter and the majority of the second quarter. To amend their situation, the Titans switched signal callers – subbing junior quarterback Cole Corey to senior Josh Henkenius – and resorted to a balance of speed and power.
The shift paid off by the 3:09 mark of the second stanza, as senior running back/linebacker Landon Schleisman followed his blockers into paydirt for a four-yard touchdown run. Schleisman would go on to haul in 79 yards in 20 attempts along with nine tackles on defense.
Following a successful PAT from senior Zane Neubaum, the Titans reclaimed the lead at 7-0.
With 50 seconds left until halftime, SCC also had another chance to extend their lead by way of Neubaum’s usually stellar boot. However, the 35-yard field goal attempt went wide and the Titans went into the locker room, clutching onto a one-point lead.
Even with the narrow advantage, the Titans knew that adjustments were in order for the second half.
“We all came together, and we knew what we’re capable of,” said junior Jordan Khommanyvong. “We knew what we all could do. Coach Case told us that it’s a team effort, and told us that he knows how good we can play. But he also told us that we haven’t gotten to that stage just yet. So, we wanted to show him what we can do in the second half, and that’s what we did.”
Motivated by the pep talk in the locker room, the Titans took over in the third quarter. Aided by a long drive and draining South Hamilton’s defensive unit of energy, SCC extended their lead with a nine-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back/defensive back Blake McAlister.
“We drove it all the way down the field,” McAlister said on his touchdown run. “That was one goal, which was to drive it from one side of the field to the other. It was something that we wanted badly, and when we scored, it felt pretty good."
All throughout the night, McAlister gashed the Hawks on the ground, piling up 151 yards on 16 carries.
“I felt when I got to the outside, all I needed was a few good blocks and I found myself one-on-one with the safety or the corner,” McAlister continued, touching on his overall performance. “That’s when I could make a move and hope for the best. This time, I was able to go around them and make the best of it.”
From the score with eight ticks left in the third quarter, the Titans stretched their lead to eight points at 14-6.
SCC later sealed the outcome with 7:40 left in the game, due to Schleisman’s 10-yard touchdown score. By this time, the Titans’ offensive line had overpowered the Hawks, allowing the senior to punish the Hawks’ second and last lines of defense.
Following Neubaum’s third PAT of the night, the Titans held a solid 21-6 lead.
This prompted the Hawks to go into desperation mode, abandoning their power running game in favor of the forward pass.
On South Hamilton’s final drive, the Hawks’ hopes for a close game abruptly ended when Khommanyvong came down with his second interception of the season.
“I was pretty excited when I came down with the pick,” Khommanyvong said of his INT. “I saw the receiver who lined up on me talk with the quarterback and the coach at the same time. I told myself that I’ll bait him here, and see if he will give me a 50-50 ball. It was a 50-50 ball, and it was me who came down with it.”
With the help of McAlister, senior Keagen Meyer and junior teammate Brennan Holder, the Titans would put together a drive to end the game in favor of the purple and white.
The Titans clenched their 17th straight district victory by racking up 372 rushing yards, thanks to the efforts of McAlister, Schleisman and Meyer’s 73 yards on 11 attempts. Holder followed suit with five touches for 38 yards.
Alongside Schleisman’s nine tackles (including one and a half tackles for a loss) and Khommanyvong’s late pick, junior lineman Keaton Daniel came up with a fumble recovery (his second of the year) while senior defensive back Chase Scheidegger picked up five and a half tackles and a crucial pass breakup.
Senior lineman Brian King was noteworthy, with three tackles and a tackle for a loss.
In other Class 1A-District 2 action, Pocahontas Area outdueled Ogden with a final score of 34-26. The Indians improved to 4-2 overall with a 2-0 district mark, as the Bulldogs dropped to 0-2 in district and 1-5 overall.
This Friday, Ogden will see Eagle Grove come in for a visit, while South Hamilton is set to host Pocahontas Area.
South Central Calhoun 21, South Hamilton 6
SH 6 0 0 0 – 6
SCC 0 7 7 7 – 21
First Quarter
SH – Trevor Thompson 7 run (kick failed), 4:16.
Second Quarter
SCC – Landon Schleisman 4 run (Zane Neubaum kick), 3:09.
Third Quarter
SCC – Blake McAlister 9 run (Neubaum kick), 0:08.
Fourth Quarter
SCC – Schleisman 10 run (Neubaum kick), 7:40.
SH SCC
First Downs 9 22
Rushing 110 372
Passing 26 38
Total Yards 136 410
C-A-I 2-7-1 4-7-1
Punts-Avg. 5-33.6 1-24
Penalties-Yards 3-20 4-45
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-1
SCC INDIVIDUAL STATS:
RUSHING – McAlister 16-151; Schleisman 20-79; Keagen Meyer 11-73; Brennan Holder 5-38; Jordan Khommanyvong 3-17; Josh Henkenius 2-0.
PASSING – Corey 2-5-1-17; Henkenius 2-2-0-21.
RECEIVING – Neubaum 1-17; Meyer 1-9; Khommanyvong 1-8; Daniel Stevens 1-4.
DEFENSIVE LEADERS – Khommanyvong 1 INT; Keaton Daniel 2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery; Schleisman 9 tackles, 1.5 TFL; Chase Scheidegger 5.5 tackles, 1 TFL; Meyer 3.5 tackles, Brian King 3 tackles, 1 TFL; Holder 3 tackles.
Class 1A-District 2 Standings
Team District Overall
SCC 2-0 6-0
Pocahontas Area 2-0 4-2
South Hamilton 1-1 3-3
Madrid 1-1 1-5
Ogden 0-2 1-5
Eagle Grove 0-2 0-6
