Craig Allen

Paden City celebrated Homecoming weekend in a big way last week with a varsity football win over the Hundred Hornets, 67-6.

Though the Hornet football program has seen some difficult days in the past few weeks, they couragesouly pulled their team together and got on with their season, visiting Paden City on Sept. 27.

With just over nine minutes to play in the first quarter, Paden City scored their first touchdown of the game and didn’t look back on their way to their second win of the 2013 season. Quarterback Zach Heasley connected on a 26 yard pass to freshman Hayden Hizer to give Paden City their first points of the night, followed by a Heasley extra-point kick.

Within the next two-and-a-half minutes the Green and White found another opportunity to score with Kane Pyles trudging two yards to the end zone. The TD was followed by another good Heasley kick.

It was Wildcat junior Brandon Cross next in line for scoring honors as he took the football six yards in, followed by another good Heasley kick for the extra point.

Still in the first period of play, Paden City managed two more touchdowns, the first on a Kane Pyles nine yard run and then Cross achieved his second TD of the night on a two yard run. With the score at 33-0 after the first in their favor, Paden City gave themselves room to maneuver new tactics.

Within seconds of the second quarter starting, junior Spencer Billings took control of the ball for a Wildcat safety. Luke Cooper brought down an eight yard pass from Heasley with 10:49 to go in the second to continue the home teams winning ways.

Cross added to his tote-board on the night with another touchdown in the game, taking the ball 51 yards in for six points.

Before the third period ended, Hizer stepped up to return a punt for 30 yards, capping off the scoring for the first half, with the Wildcats in the lead, 55-0.

In the fourth quarter, Paden City junior Craig Allen showed his speed on a 55 yard run for a home town touchdown.

Hundred’s Andrew King put points on the Blue side of the scoreboard before the game ended with a 53 yard run into the end zone.

With time left on the clock, Hizer returned a kickoff 70 yards down field for a Wildcat score to end all scoring in the contest with the ‘Cats taking the win, 67-6.

“You know, we’ve been on the other end of games like this, and I really feel for Hundred,” said Wildcat head coach, Brent Croasmun. “They’re having their problems with numbers and such right now and it would have been extremely easy for them to have just called and forfeited, but they didn’t. You’ve got to respect them for doing their best to meet their scheduling commitments.”

Offensively for Paden City, Cross was the leading rusher in the game with seven carries for 114 yards and three touchdowns; Kane Pyles had six carries for 24 yards and two touchdowns; Zach Heasley, two carries, 11 yards; Craig Allen, four rushes for 68 yards and one TD; Deven Price, two rushes for 23 yards.

Heasley was 6-12 on the night, throwing for 106 yards two passing touchdowns. He also made good on five extra-point kicks.

In the receiving department, Deven Price had one catch for 15 yards; Allen, one catch 21 yards; Hayden Hizer, one catch, 26 yards one TD; Luke Cooper, two catches for 21 yards and one TD; Pyles, one catch for 23 yards. Hizer returned a punt for 30 yards and a kickoff for 70 yards with touchdowns as the end result of both.

Defensively, Logan Carroll led the defense for the ‘Cats in the game with 15 tackles and one sack; Spencer Billings had 13 tackles; Pyles, seven tackles, two for a loss and one interception; Heasley, six tackles and two sacks; Cooper, five tackles, one for a loss and one sack; Price, five tackles; Cross, two fumble recoveries; Allen, one fumble recovery.

Paden City will travel to Cameron on Friday to take on the Class A Dragons, a team pretty evenly matched with the ‘Cats this season.