Stillman Valley routs Hampshire; Whips now 0-3
STILLMAN VALLEY - Stillman Valley's first scoring drive took 16 plays. Its next 5 drives took 9 plays.
Using their quick-strike capabilities, the Cardinals scored 42 second-quarter points and went on to rout Hampshire, 49-6 in a Big Northern crossover in Stillman Valley.
Things went from bad to worse for Hampshire when quarterback Bryan Roberts was taken off the field on a stretcher early in the fourth quarter. He could move his extremities, but because he felt pain in his neck, was taken to the hospital as a precaution.
The Whip-Purs forced Stillman to grind it out on their first drive, but in the second quarter the Cardinals scored 4 times in a little over 4 minutes.
"We went toe-to-toe with them for a quarter, and then the wheels kind of came off," said Hampshire coach Dan Cavanaugh. Quarterback Dane Green hit Nate Bond on a 70-yard screen pass to make it 14-0. On the Cardinals' next play from scrimmage, Adam Cox rumbled 52 yards for a score. Less than a minute later, Green found Bryce Dixon on a 41-yard scoring pass on second-and-22.
The Cardinals next drive took only 2 plays, with Cox going for 22 yards and Bond covering 11 yards for the score. Stillman added 2 more scores in the quarter.
Three interceptions of Roberts helped set up Stillman in good field position.
"They're very good," said Cavanaugh. "And when we're running for our life, it's hard to find a receiver."
Hampshire (0-3) didn't give up. On the Whips' first second-half possession, they moved 55 yards in just 3 plays, with Chase Lundry going 31 yards for the score.
The Whips made it to the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter, but with Lundry filling in at quarterback, were stopped on fourth down.
Lundry finished with 71 rushing yards and Mike Kuefner added 67 more for Hampshire.
For Stillman, 3-0 and ranked third in Class 4A, Cox finished with 109 yards on just 9 carries. Green was a model of efficiency, completing 3 of 4 passes for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Cardinals outgained the Whip-Purs 342 yards to 47 in the first half and 398 to 148 for the game.