MOORE 48, PUTNAM NORTH 17 Moore’s Daniel Hishaw leads second-half ground attack in rout of Putnam City North
HIGH SCHOOLS
it was that third quarter that propelled Moore to the victory.
He carried the ball seven times for 66 of Moore’s 80 rushing yards in the quarter. The Lions (3-2 overall, 2-0 district) did not attempt a pass in that span.
They turned a 14-all tie at halftime into a 28-14 lead. It continued into the fourth quarter with two rushing touchdowns from sophomore Jayce Gardner.
“We had to rededicate ourselves to running the football,” first-year Moore coach Brad Hill said. “We came out, and I thought we ran really well.
“We really pressed all week to change around the second half. Tonight, I think we flipped it a little bit.”
Putnam North (1-4, 0-2) became the victim of mistakes in the second half, erasing a promising start in the first half. Immediately after Hishaw’s third-quarter touchdown, the Panthers fumbled the kickoff back to Moore.
The Lions’ Tony Fogle scored five plays later, and Putnam North turned it over on downs its next three possessions.
“I just knew we were a better team,” Hishaw said. “As it shows on the scoreboard, we showed it.”
Hishaw, a talented dualthreat, hurt his back scoring a touchdown in the second quarter. He said a Putnam North player hit him as he dove into the end zone.
He missed one play and returned, orchestrating a game-tying drive that covered 69 yards in 40 seconds. He scored on a 2-yard keeper.
Hishaw iced his back during halftime and worked on a plan to put the game away. He had thrown two interceptions inside the red zone in the first half, but it was time to press forward.
That meant running the ball and ignoring the pain.
“I really didn’t have to shed nobody off because my linemen were giving me those holes,” Hishaw said.