by The 9-0 Highland Hornets looked to complete their first undefeated season since 2013. The only thing standing in their way was the visiting 3-6 Copley Indians.
The Indians were not up to the challenge. The Hornets won 63-0 to complete the undefeated season and be lone champions of the Suburban League American Conference.
The stars for Highland were Luke Stiles, Noah Robinson and the offensive line.
Stiles rushed for 135 yards on 14 carries with 4 touchdowns. Robinson had 9 carries for 132 yards and one touchdown. The offensive line won the day, they opened big holes all game long and even made the younger guys look like stars.
The stars for Copley were Ben Firestine, Carter Noel and DaOne Owens.
Firestone caught 5 passes for 71 yards. Noel caught three passes for 21 yards and ran the ball 10 times for 17 yards. Owens’ stats were rough, but he played with heart and was seemingly trying to escape pressure every play. He went 13/30 for 124 yards.
Copley started the game on offense. Quarterback DaOne Owens found Carter Noel for a 23-yard gain across the middle, but the offense couldn’t do much else and punted.
The Hornets offense looked to set the tone on the ground early. Luke Stiles ran for 59 yards on the first drive. Quarterback Andrew Lurtz would be the one to find the end zone on a 5-yard read option. Highland led 7-0 with 5:59 left in the first quarter.
The Indians moved the ball a little better on their second drive. Owens found Ben Firestine for gains of 30 and 14 yards. The drive ended when Owens’ pass got intercepted by Matt Ciryak.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, Lurtz returned the favor on his first pass attempt of the game. He threw a pick to Scooby Stanford on a deep vertical route.
Copley couldn’t do much with it and punted quickly. Highland went back to work on the ground. Noah Robinson led the way on this drive as he racked up 57 yards on the drive. Stiles scored the touchdown on a 4-yard run right up the middle. The score was 14-0 with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.
The punt team went out after another failed Indians drive. The Hornet’s Ciryak returned the punt 45-yards for a touchdown to extend the lead. The score was 21-0 with 10:13 left in the half.
The Indians turned the ball over on fourth down on their next drive, which gave the Hornets great field position. Robinson had a 30-yard gain and Lurtz completed his first pass to Johnny Siliko for 17. Stiles capped off the drive with a 2-yard run. Highland led 28-0 with 6:49 left in the half.
After a 3-and-out by Copley and a good punt return by Creed Hill, Highland only needed one play to score again. It was a run by Silas for an easy 15-yard touchdown. The Hornets led 35-0 with 5:16 left in the second quarter.
With the second quarter coming to an end, the Hornets were still able to add to the lead. Lurtz completed a couple of passes. Then Stiles went 25 yards to score his fourth touchdown of the day. Highland led 42-0 with 1:14 left in the half.
The second half started out with more of the same. A few strong runs for Highland that led to a 34-yard touchdown run by Robinson. The lead was extended to 49-0 with 8:47 left in the third.
After another Indians punt, Highland brought the backups out. The offensive line continued to look dominant, giving running backs James Plevris and Evan Grant runs of 20 and 17, respectively. It was backup quarterback Peyton Janickas who took it in on a 12-yard scramble. The Hornets led 56-0 with 2:37 in the third.
Janickas would find the end zone again on his second drive. After a few more solid runs by Grant and Casey Myser, he capped it off with a 9-yard scramble. The game was 63-0 blowout with 5:40 left.
The Copley Indians will finish their season 3-7 with room to improve next season.
The Highland Hornets will look to defend their home field next week in the first round of the playoffs.
