Rams’ QB throws for 331 yards, 4 TDs in win over Wolves

HOT SPRINGS LAKESIDE 49, LAKE HAMILTON 42

PEARCY — Senior quarterback Jacob Hermosillo passed for 331 yards and four touchdowns as Hot Springs Lakeside shocked Lake Hamilton 49-42 on Friday night.

“It feels good,” Lakeside cornerback AJ Howard said. “We are the first team to do it, my senior class. It feels amazing. It sets the tone. Teams cannot take us lightly anymore. They know that we are going to work and play hard every single snap.”

First-year Coach Garren Rockwell will go down as the first coach to beat the Lake Hamilton Wolves since the series between the schools resumed in 2018, ushering in a new era for Lakeside football.

“It is a rivalry now, Rockwell said. “We want to keep this going.”

Senior Lake Hamilton quarterback Easton Hurley and Hermosillo both wear No. 1, but on Friday Hermosillo was top passer. The two quarterbacks combined for 508 passing yards and six touchdowns.

The Rams struck first after a 40-yard rush from Hermosillo to the Lake Hamilton 40. Hermosillo found senior Skylar Purifoy standing at the 10-yard line on a scramble for a 30-yard reception.

Purifoy snagged a 20-yard touchdown pass two plays later for a 7-0 Rams lead.

Junior Hayden Barton capped a Wolves’ first scoring drive with a 6-yard run. The Wolves fumbled the snap on the extra point, leaving the score 7-6 Lakeside.

To start the second quarter, Lakeside senior Kyler Wolf scored from the 3, making the score 14-6.

Hermosillo tossed a 61-yard bomb to junior Ryan Ballard with 2:56 left in the first half to put the Rams up 21-6.

With three seconds left in the first half, Wolf hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Hermosillo to increase the Rams’ lead to 28-6, which wound up being the halftime score.

Howard highlighted Rockwell’s game prep.

“[The] seniors had a game plan the whole time to come win this game,” Howard said. “We wanted to make history. This is our last year. We had to get them one time. Coach Rock just brings more fire to the fuel with us. ”

On the opening drive of the second half, Hermosillo used his arm to get the Rams to the 10-yard line, and Wolf would rush it in, taking a direct snap to increase the Rams’ lead to 35-6.

With 6:54 left in the third quarter, Hurley would finally unload a long ball to Barton for a 46-yard touchdown pass. After the two-point conversion, the Wolves were trailing 35-14.

Hermosillo ran a quarterback keeper for a 70-yard touchdown to bring the Rams’ lead to 42-14 deep in the third quarter.

There were signs of life from Lake Hamilton in the third quarter as Barton ran for an 86-yard touchdown.

Lakeside’s lead was 42-21 going into the fourth quarter.

Hurley brought the Wolves to withoin 42-28 with a 24yard scoring pass to Heath Hall with 8:35 to play.

Lakeside responded with a 28-yard TD run by junior Grady Ohman.

“It feels amazing. It sets the tone. Teams cannot take us lightly anymore. They know that we are going to work and play hard every single snap.”

Hot Springs Lakeside cornerback AJ Howard on the Rams’ 49-42 win at Lake Hamilton