The Hinton football team started 2024 just like they started 2023. They started the year with a shutout win over Gehlen Catholic beating the Jays this year by a score of 21-0 at home.
With it being week one, both teams were going to face their struggles. Hinton faced them right away in the first quarter and a half having very few plays get into Gehlen territory. The Jays got a drive inside Hinton’s 30-yard line, but the Blackhawks turned them away on downs to start the game. Hinton head coach Kadrian Hardersen says that showed the type of fight his team had to have in the first game of the year.
After that first quarter and a half, the Blackhawks got to work moving the football. Their first scoring drive got the ball rolling with a 28-yard run by Gabe Anderson, and the ball never stopped rolling. Coach Hardersen says his guys did a great job of making the necessary adjustments to move the ball efficiently.
Four different guys touched the ball for Hinton on the ground leading to the Blackhawks rushing for 219 yards in their season opener. Coach Hardersen says having multiple guys impact the ground game allows them to continue to be oppressive with it late in the game.
Hinton’s defense looked to be in mid-season form for most of the night. In total, the Blackhawks picked off two Gehlen passes and forced the Jays to turn it over on downs four times throughout the night. Coach Hardersen says those two interceptions by Cole Friessen and Jack Diediker were great rewards for guys who work very hard.
Hinton’s season starts off 1-0, and it will not get any easier. Hinton will face off with the fifth-ranked team in Class 2A on Friday night in Hinton against Western Christian. Coach Hardersen says the guys will work on things and continue to tighten things up because they will face a challenge in their second game.
Gehlen Catholic starts the year off with a record of 0-1. They will host MMCRU on Friday night.
