Burlington Central routs Hampshire for 1st win

It was tough to tell if the Burlington Central football team was motivated by a homecoming crowd and new black jerseys or if it was just because the opponent had a loss.

Either way, the Rockets dominated both sides of the ball Friday night to beat Big Northern Conference East Division rival Hampshire, 48-6, on Homecoming Friday at Rocket Hill for their first victory of the season.

"We still took this team as serious as we took every other team," Central sophomore quarterback Ryan Ritchie said. "I had no idea we were going to beat them this bad. It's a great win."

The Rockets (1-5, 1-1) scored on six of seven offensive possessions, held the Whip-Purs to 114 yards of offense and added a defensive touchdown.

Brandon Westergaard and Ritchie had rushing touchdowns as Central took a 14-0 halftime lead.

The Rockets took to the air in the third quarter. Central capped a seven-play, 63-yard drive to start the second half with a 21-yard score from Ritchie to Michael Kellenberg. The pair connected again on the next drive. Kellenberg took a short pass from Ritchie, broke a tackle and sprinted down the far sideline for a 68-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead with 5:54 left in the third. On the Rockets' next possession, Ritchie threw over the Whip-Purs' defense to hit Kellenberger for a 72-yard strike with 2:36 remaining in the third.

"Doing what we do in practices," said Kellenberger, a senior.

Hampshire (1-5, 1-1), which had won the last two meetings against Central, fumbled on the following possession. The Rockets' Mark Taylor picked up the ball for a 44-yard fumble return for a score. The point after was missed, but the 41-0 lead was enough to start the running clock.

"We knew that sooner or later it was going to be our time," Rockets coach Aaron Wichman said. "The kids got some momentum and it just started to snowball in the third quarter. I was proud of them. They just kept after it and let loose a lot of frustration."

Joey Lange scored on a 29-yard run with 5:01 left in the game for a 48-0 lead for the Rockets, who wore black jerseys earned during a preseason fundraiser.

Ritchie complete 7 of 7 passes for 204 yards and rushed for 82 yards. Kellenberger had 5 receptions for 183 yards. The Rockets had 403 yards of total offense.

The Whip-Purs got 68 yards of their offensive yards of the final drive of the game. Chase Lundry hit Abdul Akel, who fumbled at the Rockets' 3-yard line. The ball went into the end zone and was recovered by Nick Holze for a touchdown.

"They were much more physical than we were. I think that was apparent," Whip-Purs coach Dan Cavanaugh said. "They owned the line of scrimmage."