By Fred Gray
On a surprisingly dry home field, the Hedley Owls ran around and through the McLean Tigers last Friday night. The Owls were able to continue pounding the ball against the Tigers and were able to run out the clock while nursing a nine point lead for most of the fourth quarter. Mother Nature even got into the act, holding the rain at bay until after the final gun.
Once again, the Owls’ defense was scrappy and swarmed around the ball. The Hedley defense, led by Denver Chambless’ 8 solo tackles and 4 assists – several for big losses, held McLean to 88 yards rushing on 27 carries, a rather paltry 3.3 yards per carry. Kyle Lindsey added 6 solo tackles along with 4 assists. Seth Ruthardt added another 4 assists and 5 solo tackles. It’s telling that each of the Hedley players had multiple assists, a sure sign of an aggressive, swarming defense.
Offensively, the Owls were able to hold on to the ball and pound McLean. Hedley’s version of the Lone Ranger, Klaton Moore, slashed and slugged his way through the Tigers, rushing for 248 yards on 20 carries – for a remarkable 12.4 yards per carry, along with 3 touchdowns. Seth Ruthardt had another beastly night, rumbling and bulling his way for 184 yards on 19 carries, a very healthy 9.7 yards per carry, while scoring 2 touchdowns. In total, Hedley rushed for 432 yards on 39 carries, averaging 11 yards per run.
Hedley’s special teams also performed well, breaking Klaton Moore free for a 65 yard td run.
This coming Friday, September 20, the Owls travel to Hart for a 7:30 kickoff. It will be worthwhile to make the trip and watch the speedy Owls go against the size and heft of Hart.
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