Steward, Alton help Hawks grind out Waldstein's first home win

After a Week 1 loss to College of DuPage, Harper bounced back and won its first game under first-year coach Eric Waldstein last weekend at Rock Valley Community College.

Still, the Hawks were looking to give Waldstein his first taste of victory at home.

Thanks to great play by the Hawks' offensive line that allowed running backs Zavier Steward and Roderick Alton to eat up chunks of yardage, Harper took care of Waldstein, winning 31-21 Saturday afternoon against North Dakota State College of Science in Palatine.

After a Roderick Alton touchdown in the first quarter, the Hawks took control of the game and were not seriously threatened.

"They (North Dakota College of Science) were blitzing, and I was able to find the hole," said Alton.

"The offense told themselves, 'We need to step up and make plays.' " said Steward. "And we did that."

Steward rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, and Alton finished with a pair of scores.

Both running backs gave credit to an offensive line that allowed quarterbacks Pat Czerwiec and Cameron Kinley to stay relativeley untouched while opening cutback lanes for the ground attack. Steward also credited the offensive coaching staff for play-calling that was "great."

The defense did its part as well. The Hawks (2-1) limited NDCS to 81 rushing yards. And thanks in part to putting pressure on NDCS quarterback Cole Lanham, the Hawks' secondary came up with 4 interceptions.

One of those came when Wildcats punter Jake Hansen dropped a snap that was just a little to the right. The oncoming Hawks special teamers pressured Hansen near the 5-yard line, causing him to force a throw while being taken down. Linebacker Blair Lane was able to come up with the interception, which led to a Steward touchdown.

The Hawks next go on the road against Iowa Western Community College at 1 p.m Saturday. This is the Reivers' first year of playing football since the 1970s, when the school suspended its program.