Three backs lead Wolves in rout of Leopards
MALVERN — Behind the power of Lake Hamilton’s three running backs, the Wolves beat Malvern 35-12 Friday night on David Alpe Field at Claude Mann Stadium.
While highlighting his three running backs, Lake Hamilton head coach Tommy Gilleran also credited his offensive line for the win and described it as one of the best in the state.
Tevin Hughes led the visitors with 127 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries while Owen Miller registered five carries for 81 yards and a score. Kendrick Martin chipped in with five carries for 55 yards and a touchdown.
“You’ve got three really good running backs,” Gilleran said.
“Those dudes, man, they’re great. They do such a good job of running the ball and breaking tackles. They break tackles all the time, too. That’s what people don’t think about. They don’t get tackled by the first guy; it’s always somebody else that has to tackle them.”
After a big rush in the first half, Miller went down with an apparent knee injury. However, Gilleran said he’ll be good to go for next week.
“He’s going to be fine,” Gilleran said. “He hyperextended
his knee, and so they said it was fine. We were precautious. We go, ‘Hey we don’t really need him tonight.’ It was already 28-0.”
Lake Hamilton scored 35 unanswered points in the first half, but the Wolves did not look quite as sharp in the second half. With Hot Springs on the horizon, Gilleran warned that his team cannot have a second half performance like that again.
“We played really well in the first half, and we kind of got out there and kind of knew what we needed to do,” he said. “At half time, we were just kind of lackadaisical because we thought the clock’s going to run, so our kids didn’t take it serious enough like we wanted to. … Give it to Malvern, they came out and made some adjustments and did some things to hurt us.”
Lake Hamilton limited Malvern’s dual threat quarterback Cedric Simmons to 31 rushing yards on the night.
“First half I thought they played lights out against a quarterback that is phenomenal and can run and throw,” Gilleran said. “I thought our kids really did well, and I thought they did a good job of handling the different things they did and a guy that can run anytime.”
Simmons went 14-for-27 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns during the contest. The junior quarterback could have had more yards on the stat sheet but dropped passes by his receivers let him down.
“I thought good job the way he responded,” Malvern head coach J.D. Plumlee said. “He was seeing a fast defense, a 6A defense, and he needed to see that. In the first half, I’m going to watch film, but it may have been more on the receivers than it was Ced. So we’re going to clean that up.”
Simmons is a three-year starter who has really grown into the quarterback role.
“I thought overall he’s calm out there this year,” Plumlee said. “I’m not seeing any kind of panic with Ced, and that’s a sign of maturity that he needs to show that he’s not going to get rattled. I don’t think he did, and I’m happy he’s kind of understanding that part of it.”
Malvern played multiple sophomores Friday night, and Plumlee said his team moved the ball decently but just couldn’t finish drives. Overall, he seemed pleased with the way his team performed against a top team that’s two classifications above it.
“That’s a powerhouse,” Plumlee said. “If they stay healthy, they’re going to be playing at War Memorial again. … I told my guys at the end of the game right there that there were four plays in that first half that if they were on the other side, it may have been a little bit different game at half.”
Lake Hamilton started the game with excellent field position when Justin Crutchmer returned the opening kickoff deep inside Malvern territory to the 29-yard line.
Later in the drive, Martin evaded defenders on a 15-yard rush to the end zone for a 7-0 Lake Hamilton lead.
Following a three and out by the Leopards, Hughes broke multiple tackles for a 40-yard run down to the Malvern 33-yard line. Just a few plays later, Miller punched it in from 3 yards out for a 14-0 advantage.
The Wolves tacked on another score in the second quarter, this time through the air, when Grant Bearden found tight end Gavin Robbins for a 25-yard touchdown pass to put the visitors ahead 21-0.
On Lake Hamilton’s next drive and on the play he hyperextended his knee, Miller broke off a 30-yard rush to the Malvern 19-yard line. On the next play, Hughes scored after evading a defender with a big time cut for a 28-0 lead.
Starting with excellent field position after a Malvern fourth down conversion ended with a sack deep inside the Leopard’s own territory, Hughes scored another touchdown, juking multiple defenders on the way to a 35-0 scoreline.
The Leopards started the second half full of energy and drove the ball 80 yards for their first score of the game.
On fourth down, Simmons found Jabri Artis across the middle for a 34-yard touchdown pass. Lake Hamilton blocked the extra point to make the game 35-6.
Simmons capped off a stellar second half with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Watson as the Wolves blocked the extra point again to set the final.
Lake Hamilton could have added another touchdown on the Wolves’ final drive of the game. Although Gilleran left Hughes and Martin at running back during the second half, he brought in backup quarterback sophomore Ethan Hurley to play the final two quarters.
The southpaw targeted a wide open receiver in the end zone on a fourth down play from the 15-yard line but the pass was dropped.
“We just wanted to give him some meaningful time in a game and just so he can be with the first group,” Gilleran said. “If Grant ever went down, we needed somebody to step in there and not be nervous. It was good for him because he was nervous.”
Lake Hamilton hosts Hot Springs Friday while Malvern travels to Lakeside.