Cooper’s field goal wins wild game for Hamilton
LAWRENCE » In a game where momentum swung like a pendulum between two Mercer County rivals all night long, the right foot of a placekicker came in handy when it mattered most.
Hamilton’s Domonic Cooper drilled a 33-yard field goal as time expired Friday at Lawrence High, earning the Hornets a dramatic 31-28 win and their first 2-0 start to a season since 2011.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, fell to 0-2 with their second gutwrenching defeat in two weeks, despite a monstrous performance from Davon Hemingway, who rushed for 173 yards.
Facing 3rd-and-11 from Lawrence’s 45-yard line late in the fourth quarter and pressure in his face, Hamilton quarterback Hezekiah Patterson connected with Jonathan Piotroski for a 24-yard reception to set up the score.
Lawrence had tied the game 20 with 5:22 remaining on William Johnson’s 10-yard rushing touchdown, plus a two-point conversion on a pass from Ryan Kaelblein to Sean McLaughlin.
The second half started inauspiciously for the Hornets, who trailed, 20-14 and then fumbled on their first play from scrimmage.
Then Hamilton had a touchdown return off a blocked 31-yard field goal called back by the officials because of a block in the back. But the Hornets’ fortunes turned from there.
With 6:55 left in the third, Barry Ndeh tossed a 53-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Muir on a halfback option trickery play for a 21-20 lead.
Then with Lawrence driving into Hornets territory, Christopher Charles tied Hamilton’s school record with his 12th career interception, setting up a 47-yard scoring drive in which Charles got into the end zone on a 15-yard pass from Patterson. That pushed Hamilton’s lead to 28-20.
The game began with a thunderous first quarter featuring touchdowns on two consecutive plays from scrimmage, then another on a kickoff — all within two minutes and 18 seconds of game clock.
After recovering a Lawrence fumble on the opening kickoff, Hamilton drove 28 yards into the end zone on four plays. Patterson completed passes to Ndeh and Charles, then handed the ball off to running back Cire Peters for 8 yards to move the chains to firstand-goal.
Ryan Hogan plunged in for the touchdown from 3 yards out and Cooper kicked the extra point, earning the Hornets a 7-0 lead.
That lead lasted for all of 12 seconds.
On Lawrence’s first play from scrimmage, Hemingway juked outside and burst past all defenders 75 yards down the sideline for a touchdown which tied the game following an extra point from Aidan Wilson. Hemingway would finish the first half with 115 rushing yards on only 10 carries.
The tide looked to be swinging back into Hamilton’s favor as Brandon Muir scampered for a 67-yard kickoff return, and then Zaire Jeremie recovered another Lawrence fumble at the Cardinals’ 29-yard line.
But Lawrence’s defense held Hamilton to a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, and three series later, the Cardinals drove 57 yards to pull within 13-14.
During that sequence, Hemingway rushed three times for 28 yards and Kaelblein completed a 23-yard play-action pass to McLaughlin into the red zone. Coby Sherard pounced in from 2 yards out for the touchdown, but Hamilton blocked the kick.
Working with good field position following a sack deep in Hamilton territory, the Cardinals then drove 35 yards on three plays for their first lead at 20-14 when Sherard rushed 18 yards for his second touchdown.
Defensive end Tommy Tanner got in on a sack late in the second quarter to preserve that lead for Lawrence going into halftime, but Hamilton would have the final word when the dust settled.
Hamilton (2-0) Lawrence (0-2) First Quarter H— L— H— Second Quarter L— L— Third Quarter H— Fourth Quarter H— 14 7 0 13 7 0 7 — 8 —
Hogan 3 rush (Cooper kick) Hemingway 75 rush (Wilson kick) Muir 67 kickoff return (Cooper kick)
Sherard 2 rush (kick failed) Sherard 18 rush (Wilson kick)
28 20
Muir 53 pass from Ndeh (Cooper kick)
Charles 15 pass from Patterson (Cooper kick)
L — Johnson 10 rush (McLaughlin pass from Kaelblein)
H — Cooper 33 kick