By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Jefferson West Tigers are having their best football season in years, but they were no match for Hayden Friday night. Hayden stifled the high-scoring visitors 42-0 to claim the Class 3A District 4 title.
Hayden's defense limited Jefferson West to 129 total yards en route to a 42-0 win over Jefferson West Friday night, with the Wildcats improving to 8-0. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Jefferson West came to Hayden aiming to claim the district crown by defeating the Wildcats for the first time in 15 tries, a string dating back to the consolidation of the school in 1971. The Tigers have put up at least 40 points on nearly every opponent this season. But the stubborn Wildcat defense surrendered just 129 yards of total offense, and the Tigers never came near the goal line.
“I just liked the way our kids competed tonight,” said Hayden coach Bill Arnold. “We made some mistakes early. There were some stupid penalties that extended some of the drives for (Jefferson West). But for the most part, I loved the energy our kids played with.
“They take a lot of pride in (the shutout). That’s the goal every week. But at the same time, we’re going to run into some competition here pretty quick where we just need them to keep plugging away out there.”
The Tigers entered the contest attempting more than 25 passes per game. The Wildcats knew freshman quarterback Brixton Schwinn would challenge them through the air. Hayden responded by holding Schwinn to 7-20 passing for 44 yards and two interceptions.
“It was a long practice week, getting ready for this, I’m not going to lie,” said senior linebacker Jude Krentz. “We got prepared. We were ready. It just came down to communication.
“On defense we have just come together and our camaraderie is just really good. Especially with being heavy on seniors. We’ve been brothers like since eighth grade, probably even longer than that.”
Senior Jude Krentz scored a pair of touchdowns in Friday's 42-0 Hayden win over Jefferson West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior quarterback Connor Hanika threw for three touchdowns to three different receivers in Friday's 42-0 district win over Jefferson West. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
On offense, Krentz gave the Wildcats two short touchdown runs in the first half. Quarterback Connor Hanika found three different receivers on touchdown throws, and Jace Wolf capped the scoring with a 25-yard interception return for a score.
Despite the lopsided outcome, Arnold praised the Tigers, who are 6-2 on the season.
“Jeff West is a good team. They’re going to win some games in the playoffs,” Arnold said. “I’m just proud of our kids for the way they fought all night.”
The Wildcats finished the regular season 8-0 and will host the opening round of the postseason next week. No strangers to playoff football, the Wildcats advanced to the Class 3A championship game the past two seasons.
“We’re just looking for 1-0. Every week, 1-0. That’s all we care about. One game at a time,” Krentz said. “I think we’re going to go far and we’re going to get it done.”
HAYDEN 42, JEFFERSON WEST 0
Jefferson West (6-2, 3-1) 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Hayden (8-0, 4-0) 7 14 7 14 -- 42
Hayden – McGivern 21 pass from Hanika (Becker kick)
Hayden – Krentz 1 run (Becker kick)
Hayden – Krentz 5 run (Becker kick)
Hayden – Blasing 11 pass from Hanika (Becker kick)
Hayden – Power 19 pass from Hanika (Becker kick)
Hayden – Wolf 25 interception return (Becker kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Jefferson West: Holman 1-17, Brixton Schwinn 4-5, Thelen 12-68, Devlin 3-2, Mayer 4-2. Hayden: Mitchell 13-70, McGivern 4-12, Krentz 8-39, Becker 1-3, Lopez 1-3, Branson 1-(minus) 1.
Passing – Jefferson West: Brixton Schwinn 7-20-2 44, yards; Holman 0-1-0, 0. Hayden: Hanika 14-21-0, 165; Tetuan 0-1-0, 0.
Receiving – Jefferson West: Holman 1-8, Thelen 1-(minus) 1, Brody Schwinn 3-27, Foster 1-12, Mayer 1-(minus) 2. Hayden: Kidd 4-67, Blasing 2-25, McGivern 2-24, Power 3-36, Mitchell 3-13.
Punting – Jefferson West: Brixton Schwinn 2-21.5, Mayer 3-34.7. Hayden: Becker 2-42.5, Rohr 1-20.
