The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
In a game that they actually dominated for much of the first three quarters, the West Prairie-La Harpe Cyclones eventually couldn't get it done versus a feisty bunch of Brown County Hornets.
The visiting Hornets came up with the big plays when they needed to and pulled away in the 4th quarter to take a 33-14 victory. The win moves Brown County to 3-1 on the season, while WP-LH falls to a disappointing 1-3.
The Cyclones totally dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half, out rushing BC 190 yards to 27 in the first 24 minutes. However, two big pass plays by the Hornets had the score knotted at 14-all at the intermission.
The Cyclones first half scoring came on a 40-yard run by QB Kevin Mershon and a 1-yard plunge by fullback Eric Swank. Sophomore place-kicker Matt Woolam added both extra points.
The second half saw WP-LH open its first series by fumbling on its second play deep in the Cyclone end. This set the table for an easy Hornet score to take a 21-14 lead. It also began a chain of events that would eventually prove too difficult for the host Cyclones to overcome.
The Cyclones took the ensuing kick-off and marched right down the field and inside the Hornet 10-yard line. On 3rd down, Mershon went option right for 5 yards to the Brown County 2-yard line. Faced with a 4th and 1 from the 2 yard line, Swank was sent into the right side of the line. The Hornets would swarm to stop this play, and as it worked out, this play would seal the Cyclone's fate.
WP-LH gained 302 yards offensively overall. This included 261 yards on 53 rushing attempts. Swank led the way with 122 yards on 24 attempts. DeCounter added 89 yards on 15 carries, while Mershon picked up 48 yards on 10 attempts. Mershon added 41 yards passing as he completed 1 of 3 attempts. Senior Jason Poulter had the lone reception.
The Cyclone "D" gave up 325 yards to the Hornets. This included 114 yards passing on only 3 completions (including the two big T.D. tosses in the first half).
Brown County had only about 50 yards rushing in the first 3 periods, but then picked up about 160 in the last quarter to finish with 211 yards on the ground. The big 4th down stop seemed to totally change the confidence levels of both teams and that change allowed BC to gain control of the line of scrimmage for the pivotal 4th quarter.
Swank led the Cyclone defense with 17 total tackles in his first start of the season. Austin Johnson and John Bruns were each involved in 8 tackles from their defensive tackle positions. Ben Cox, Jon Zaehringer, Evan Wisely, Kevin Penrod, Jacob Markey, Kevin Mershon, Woolam, Poulter, and DeCounter were each involved in at least two tackles each.
Woolam and Cox each recorded tackles for loss, while DeCounter had an interception.
The Cyclones return to West Central Conference action this Friday when they travel to Hamilton to face the West Hancock Titans. The Titans are 3-1 overall and will present a difficult task for the slumping Cyclones.