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Where do you start – the 399 yards rushing or the defense that caused eight turnovers and scored three touchdowns? How about a little of both?
The Hamilton Hornets advanced to their first ever state championship game on Saturday afternoon, and all it really took was 2:09 for the game to be decided.
Hornets running back Trevor Dixon ran 84 yards on the first play of the game for a touchdown and Dylan Chadwick booted the extra point to give Hamilton a 7-0 lead.
On the first Wellington-Napoleon possession, quarterback Caleb Kropp hit Hamilton’s Josh Pickrell in the face mask on his first pass. On the second pass of the drive, Kropp hit Pickrell in the hands. This time Pickrell caught it and returned the ball 35 yards for another Hornet TD. After another Chadwick PAT, the Hornets led 14-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Tiger’s Cody Banner couldn’t get the ball in his grasp and Hamilton’s Brandon Hemry recovered. Four plays later, Dixon ran in from seven yards out. Hamilton led 20-0 with 9:51 left in the first quarter.
Although the visiting Tigers refused to capitulate, eventually the carnage would end with Hamilton on its way to the state title game for the first time ever in football, Class 1 state semifinal winners over Wellington-Napoleon, 62-27.
Hamilton, which remained perfect at 13-0 on the season, will now face Ste. Genevieve: Valle (14-0) in the state championship game at noon this Saturday inside the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
The Warriors, state champs nine times previously – a total second only to Jefferson City’s 10 in overall state high school football history, also handily cruised into this week’s title game, dispatching Tipton 49-21 at Tipton.
Looking to escape from its early canyon, Kropp hit on three straight passes to move into Hornets territory on Wellington-Napoleon’s next drive after Dixon’s second score.
Long-time Hamilton head coach Dave Fairchild elected to put his quarterback, Keagan Prather, into the game at safety and, on the next play, Prather stepped in front of a Kropp pass for another interception. Four plays later, Dixon again rumbled in for another Hornet touchdown, this time from 40 yards out. The 2-point conversion was good and Hamilton led 28-0.
The Tigers’ drove deep into Hornet territory on their next possession before turning the ball over on downs inside the Hamilton 15-yard line. As the first quarter finally came to and end for Wellington-Napoleon, they found themselves down by four touchdowns.
Dixon soon scored again, this time on a pass from Prather that covered 36 yards. The PAT was good and the Hornets had a 35-0 lead.
WNHS did not lie down though, they responded with a drive that ended with a 13-yard TD pass from Kropp to Blake Seitz. Seitz then caught the 2-point conversion on a fake extra point attempt to pull the Tigers to within 35-8.
Hamilton took over with good field position but was unable to move the chains. They punted back to W-N and the Tigers once again put a drive together. Kropp ran around left end and scored from 20 yards out. This time the fake extra point didn’t work, but the Tigers were within 35-14.
After another Hornets punt, Wellington-Napoleon had the ball in their own territory and faced a fourth down. They gambled and went for the first down, but Hamilton stopped them and took over with just enough time to maybe add to their lead.
Prather rumbled in on a quarterback sweep with 11 seconds left, but an illegal chop block was called. The Hornets threw two passes to the end zone, but neither was caught. Instead of leading 42-14, Hamilton had to settle for a 21-point lead at halftime.
On the opening possession of the second half, W-N was driving again deep into Hamilton territory. Prather came through again for the Hornets, this time picking off a pass and going 82 yards for the touchdown to put Hamilton up 41-14.
Wellington-Napoleon threw another interception on the next possession, this time it was Dixon doing the honors. He returned the favor a couple of plays later when he fumbled the ball back to the Tigers.
Cody Banner rumbled in from 7 yards out a few plays later the Tigers were within 41-20. Hamilton fumbled again on its next possession – this time Prather laying it on the ground off a good hit by a W-N defender. Kropp found Christian Bryant on a 13-yard strike to make the score 41-27.
“It was a little scary after we fumbled the ball twice,” Fairchild said.
Hamilton responded, however, with a long drive that ended when Prather bulled his way over from three yards out to put Hamilton up 48-27 after three quarters.
On the Tigers next drive, Hamilton’s Chadwick added a third pick-6 for the Hornets, this time from 61 yards out. It was his second interception return for a touchdown in two games. Hamilton led 55-27 and the Hornet fans were making plans for St. Louis.
Kropp was picked off again on the next W-N drive, this time by linebacker Matt Schieber. Chadwick finished the scoring off with a 38-yard jaunt to give the Hornets a 62-27 lead.
Hamilton’s JV squad finished the final six minutes, even causing a fumble.
When all was said and done, Wellington-Napoleon actually out-gained the Hornets, but finished its season at 12-2.