By Tristan James (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
No. 5 seed Hillcrest went on the road to face No. 4 Logan-Rogersville with its eyes set on an upset, and the Hornets did just that in a 12-7 win over the host Wildcats.
“Our guys just battled. They kept fighting. They knew it was going to be a grind and they kept fighting for four quarters,” said Hillcrest Head Coach Keenan Ganz
Rogersville received the opening kickoff and proceeded to march down the field into the redzone. Hillcrest’s defense stopped Rogersville’s offense in its tracks by recovering a fumble to get the ball.
Hillcrest made the most of the fumble recovery. Hornet quarterback Ethan Weaver marched Hillcrest down the field to the one-yard line where Jordan Tindle capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The score stood at 6-0 after the PAT was blocked.
That score stood for most of the rest of the half until Rogersville struck with under two minutes to go. Rogersville quarterback Kolbey Ballowe found Dre Jones on the outside, and Jones took off for an 88-yard touchdown. The PAT was good to send the game to the half at 7-6 in favor of Rogersville.
The third quarter saw a defensive stalemate with no scoring. Hillcrest drove the ball deep into Rogersville territory in the waning moments of the third quarter. Tindle scored his second touchdown of the game in the first minute of the fourth quarter to stake Hillcrest to a 12-7 lead.
Hillcrest’s defense once again answered the bell on the next Rogersville possession with an interception by Jude Cochran.
“It was a crucial part of the game. I was just thinking , if I get this, we win this,” Conchran said.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Hillcrest’s defense stood up the Rogersville offense two more times in the quarter to secure the 12-7 victory marking the second win of the season for Hillcrest.
Hillcrest moves to 2-8 on the year and will face current Ozark Conference rival and future Ozark Mountain Conference rival Bolivar in the Class 4 District 6 semifinals next Friday at Bolivar. The Hornets lost 44-7 to Bolivar on Oct. 13.
“We will definitely take a hard look at our film from Bolivar a few weeks ago. They play hard and physical, so we will have to match that,” Ganz said.
Rogersville finishes the season with a 4-6 record overall.
