Owen Scott ran for 300 yards and four touchdowns, and Jared Halbert added 100 yards on the ground and four touchdowns of his own, as the Hillmen (11-0) ran past River Valley (8-3) 56-41 Friday night in their playoff opener. The offensive line turned in another impressive performance, controlling the line of scrimmage and paving the way for Scott, Halbert, and Waylen Cozad to have big games. Defensively, the Hillmen struggled in the first half, but turned the tables in the second half with several big plays. Logan Crawford had a huge sack late in the game and Derek Haney and Ryan Huston made crucial tackles on fourth down to thwart River Valley drives. Mikey Ferreria played well in the secondary, making several key tackles. The defensive line also delivered in the clutch pressuring River Valley QB Avery Gould consistently in the second half. Michael Downen had 14 tackles, Simeon Engle had seven tackles and half a sack, and Crawford had 15 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and two and a half sacks. Linebacker Taylor Levesque continued his strong season as well with 10 tackles, including two tackles for a loss. The Hillmen will hit the road to take on fourth seeded Patterson (11-0) in a battle of unbeatens next Friday night at 7pm. To read more about Friday’s opening round victory, check out Ike Dobson’s article in the Auburn Journal!
Hillmen down River Valley 56-41 in opening round of playoffs