H-D hands Lions first District loss

A big and physical Hampton-Dumont team out-manned Clear Lake, 45-6, Friday night, handing the Lions their first loss in the district and setting up a game with all sorts of post-season implications this week.

Clear Lake (4-1, 4-4) will host District 2’s only undefeated team, the GHV Cardinals (5-0, 7-1) this week.  If GHV wins, they would capture the Class 2A District title.  However, if Clear Lake can knock off the seventh rated Cards, they would enter into a three-way tie with GHV and Hampton-Dumont (4-1, 6-2) for district honors.  All three teams will advance to post-season play, however seeding will depend upon district records and a points system.

“We had a good practice and put the Hampton-Dumont game to rest Monday,” said Coach Jared DeVries.  “They were what we expected— big and physical, but we complicated things, too, with turnovers.”

Hampton-Dumont wasted no time setting the tone in Friday’s game.  The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff 80-yards on seven plays and followed that with a two-point conversion for a quick 8-0 lead just minutes into the contest.

Each team made a defensive stand before a Lion fumble, the first of six on the night, gave the Bulldogs the ball on the Lion 20.  H-D took the ball to the end zone in five plays and tacked on two-points to make the score 16-0.

The Lions were able to put points on the board on their next possession.  The speed of Zach Tatum and power running of Carter Garrington steadily advanced the ball.  Quarterback Zach Lester scampered to the end zone from 16-yards out.  The team attempted a two-point conversion to try to match H-D’s scoring, but the effort failed and left the score 16-6.

The Bulldogs ate up much of the clock in the second quarter and piled on yardage during a sustained drive that resulted in another touchdown with just over two-minutes left in the half.  With the two-point conversion H-D was in control, 24-6, at the half.  By halftime the Bulldogs had amassed 216-yards of offense, all on the ground, to the Lions’ 72.

The Lions failed to find any solutions to the Bulldogs’ power during the break.  Hampton came out of the locker room and scored within three minutes, 30-6.

On their next possession the Lions were moving the ball and had crossed midfield when Lester was sacked and fumbled.  The Bulldogs recovered the ball on the Lions’ 30.   The takedown sent Lester to the sidelines for the remainder of the game and he is questionable for Friday night’s game against GHV, according to DeVries.  Johnny Guerrero scored his third touchdown of the night from the 24 and another two-point conversion put the score at 38-6.  Another Lion fumble, which they recovered, was followed by Guerrero’s interception of a Thomas Storbeck pass.  Storbeck returned the favor on defense a few plays later, but another Lion fumble gave the Bulldogs the ball at midfield and set the stage for another Guerrero score.  This time the