Hutchinson gets back on track by blasting Newton
NEWTON – A new coach hasn’t altered Hutchinson fullback Jacob Hardenberger’s definition of Salthawk football.
In the senior’s mind, it’s still a combination of a punishing rushing attack and a fast, physical defense.
After Friday, how could coach Ryan Cornelsen disagree?
Another new face, Dodge City transfer Blaik Middleton, set the tone for Hutchinson with a 51-yard touchdown run on the game’s third play, and the Salthawks overwhelmed Newton 34-16 at Fischer Field for the first victory of the Cornelsen era.
Middleton, a 175-pound senior, ran for 232 yards and two touchdowns, while Hardenberger added 105 yards and a touchdown for the Salthawks, who quickly moved on from a 24-2 loss to Olathe South in last week’s opener.
“I think everyone came out ready to go,” said Hardenberger, whose 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter helped Hutch build a 28-0 halftime lead. “You never want to start a season like that, but Olathe South was a good team.”
Cornelsen, the former La Crosse and Hays coach, replaced longtime Salthawks coach Randy Dreiling in the offseason. After a debut that left his top defensive player and two quarterbacks injured, Cornelsen’s team responded with a first half that mirrored many games in recent Salthawk seasons.
“I think we just made a point to come out here and dominate like we know we can,” said Middleton, who added a 50-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter and compiled all of his yards before sitting out the fourth quarter. “I feel like we can do a lot of great things if we keep working.”
Hutch’s defense complemented a Salthawk rushing attack that produced 413 yards on 58 attempts. Through the first three quarters, Newton was limited to 67 yards of offense and three first downs.
Hutch junior linebacker Colton Fee intercepted a pass and recovered a pooch kickoff.
“It was nothing new from them,” said Newton quarterback Jack Kingsley, who ran for 41 yards and completed 1 of 10 passes for minus-2 yards. “They come out and punch you in the mouth right from the start.”
Hutch, which also got a touchdown run from third-stringer-turned-starter Canyon Maldonado, scored on its first four possessions. The Salthawks’ biggest offensive blemishes were turning the ball over on downs and fumbling inside Newton’s 5 on consecutive second-half possessions.
Hutch’s lone second-half points came on Luther Tolbert’s 32-yard run with 5:01 remaining. It was sandwiched between an 83-yard touchdown run by Newton’s Kade Remsberg and a 1-yard plunge by Luke Porter.
“I still think we’ve got things to improve on,” Middleton said. “We could be a lot better, but overall, tonight was a pretty good win.”
Hutchinson | 21 | 7 | 0 | 6 | – | 34 |
Newton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | – | 16 |
H—Middleton 51 run (kick failed)
H—Maldonado 2 run (Stoecklein pass from Maldonado)
H—Middleton 50 run (Luce kick)
H—Hardenberger 6 run (Luce kick)
N—Remsberg 83 run (Fulmer pass from Kingsley)
H—Tolbert 32 run (kick failed)
N—Porter 1 run (Kingsley run)
Individual Statistics
Rushing—Hutchinson, Middleton 18-232, Hardenberger 18-105, Benitez 11-71, Tolbert 2-30, Maldonado 9-5. Newton, Remsberg 7-99, Porter 5-70, Kingsley 11-41, Million 12-32.
Passing—Hutchinson, Maldonado 1-2-10-0. Newton, Kingsley 1-10-(-2)-1.
Receiving—Hutchinson, Hardenberger 1-10. Newton, Downey 1-(-2).
This story was originally published September 12, 2014 at 11:18 PM with the headline "Hutchinson gets back on track by blasting Newton."