Sports
HAMILTON — The Wildcats couldn’t keep the Big Blue offense off the field. And when they did have the football, they couldn’t keep their hands on it.
Hamilton High School beat Springfield 14-6 on Friday, Aug. 27, in the 2010 season opener at Virgil Schwarm Stadium. The Big Blue used a punishing running game to chew up 269 yards of offense — with no passing yards.
The Wildcats turned the ball over five times (three fumble recoveries and two interceptions), and they fumbled at inopportune times. The first fumble preceded the Big Blue’s second touchdown. The second came with the Wildcats on the Hamilton 8 yard line and time running out in the second quarter.
Springfield head coach Rick Robertson said his team was missing focus.
“We tread a fine line of being loose and being sloppy,” Robertson said. “There’s nothing wrong with being loose if you’re focused. We lost a little bit of focus tonight.”
The Big Blue was able to pounce on that lack of focus with an 11-play, 75-yard game-opening drive. After Springfield fumbled, the Big Blue then went on a 13-play, 50 yard drive and another score with 10:49 left in the second quarter. It was 14-0 and Springfield only had one possession. And, the Big Blue didn’t even attempt a pass.
“Who doesn’t know we’re a little undersized up front?” Robertson said. “That’s created some issues for us at times. You still need to overcome it, and we didn’t.”
The Wildcats were able to move the ball better in the second half, but were hurt by mistakes. They fumbled on their first series, and their next drive stalled at the Hamilton 19-yard line.
The Wildcats scored with 6:07 left in the game when Chris Wallace connected with George Walker on a sideline pass, and he sprinted down the field for an 81-yard touchdown. The extra point missed.
Springfield’s offense had the ball twice more after that, but both drives ended in interceptions.
Walker, who played both QB and tailback, finished with 126 receiving and 58 rushing yards. Wallace, in his first game as Springfield’s QB, completed 11 of 22 passes for 189 yards.
Hamilton bulldozer Devin Jarrett rushed for 177 yards on 29 carries (6.1 per carry) and scored both touchdowns. Hamilton QB Brian Cleckley rushed for 74 yards on 22 carries. They combined for 51 of Hamilton’s 58 carries.
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