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Hawks record first shutout in 3 years, move to 6-1

SH has fun in the mud vs. Ogden on homecoming

South Hamilton’s Zeke Balderas (55) flips Ogden’s Jacob Kathman to the muddy turf at Taylor Field on Friday in Jewell. DFJ photo/Tracy Runneberg

JEWELL — It was supposed to be a simple trap play, one South Hamilton has run countless times this season, but a bobble here and a wobble there forced quarterback Marco Balderas to improvise on the fly midway through the second quarter at Taylor Field Friday night.

The end result? A lot of smiles on the Hawks side of the field.

Yes, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. But South Hamilton was plenty good, too.

Balderas’s broken play 82-yard touchdown scramble midway through the second quarter was indicative of the homecoming fun the Hawks had in the rain and mud, as they utilized a 28-point second quarter to go on and blowout Class 1A District 6 rival Ogden, 41-0.

The game was called with 5:23 remaining due to lightning in the area.

South Hamilton running back DJ Klonglan (22) dives across the goal line for a 7-yard touchdown run against Ogden on Friday at Taylor Field in Jewell. The Hawks thumped the Bulldogs, 41-0, for their first shutout victory in three years. DFJ photo/Tracy Runneberg

South Hamilton (6-1, 4-1) pitched its first shutout since a 37-0 rout of Woodward Academy nearly three years earlier during Week 7 of the 2014 season. Ogden (2-5, 1-4) was limited to 83 yards of total offense and five first downs.

And to think, Hawks’ head coach Corey Klemp was nervous prior to kickoff.

“No, I didn’t expect this,” he said. “We were worried about our focus going in, but once the ball was put in play, the kids were like a machine. I’ve said it a lot, but I’m just really impressed with the maturity of this group. They’re really turning into a mature, solid group that doesn’t get fazed by a whole lot.”

The swamp-like conditions played right into South Hamilton’s ball-control hands. The Hawks orchestrated 47 plays, all runs, and piled up 403 yards. Halfback DJ Klonglan chewed up 166 yards and scored three touchdowns on 16 touches. Logan Klemp was the workhorse with 21 carries that produced 123 yards and a touchdown. Balderas had 87 yards and the one touchdown on three totes at quarterback, and Grant Evans added 27 yards and a TD on seven attempts.

Knowing South Hamilton was likely to be relegated to the ground, Ogden put nine and sometimes 10 defenders near the line of scrimmage, but found little success.

Hawks’ running back Logan Klemp (20) reaches across the goal line on Friday. DFJ photo/Tracy Runneberg

“We didn’t even really pretend to want to throw,” Coach Klemp said. “In a way that played against us a little bit, but we were really solid up front and the backs ran hard. Our kids are just really gaining a lot of confidence and you can see it on both sides of the ball.”

Ogden’s pass-happy spread offense was held in check by the Hawks with an assist going to Mother Nature. Quarterback Sam Christensen completed just 3 of 13 passes for 40 yards.

“The conditions were not suited for their offense by any means, but we had solid coverage throughout and our (defensive) line played really well,” Coach Klemp said.

Logan Klemp had a team-high six tackles, while Sam Lewis and the Balderas brothers, Mateo and Zeke, all had 41⁄2. Lewis blocked a punt as well that was scooped up by Mateo Balderas and moved down the field.

A Klonglan 1-yard touchdown run, followed by a 3-yard jaunt into the end zone by Logan Klemp put South Hamilton in command 14-0 early in the second quarter.

South Hamilton’s Mateo Balderas (54) picks up a blocked punt and heads down the field on Friday. DFJ photo/Tracy Runneberg

And then the fun really began.

A bobbled snap by Balderas on the aforementioned trap play created the breakdown, but the heady senior was able to find a seam and sprint the 82 yards to the house to give the Hawks a three-touchdown lead with 6:20 left in the first half.

“That was not the play we called,” Coach Klemp said. “We had a little trouble with the exchange … we lost the ball and regained it, and it was just a real heads-up play be Marco and that’s the stuff we expect from him.”

Klonglan got loose in the open field for a 47-yard scoring gallop with 4:41 to go before the half. With just 27 ticks remaining, it was Klonglan again, this time on a 7-yard scamper to push South Hamilton’s advantage to 35-0 at the break.

A running clock was in place throughout the second half.

Evans finished off the Bulldogs by plowing across the goal line from one yard away with 7:58 remaining.

South Hamilton will head to Stuart to face West Central Valley on Friday. A win and Eagle Grove loss at Ogden would clinch a spot in the playoffs for the Hawks.

South Hamilton 41, Ogden 0

Friday at Jewell

Ogden 0 0 0 0 — 0

South Hamilton 7 28 0 6 — 41

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

SH — DJ Klonglan 1 run (Logan Klemp kick), 1:35.

Second Quarter

SH — Klemp 3 run (run failed), 8:27.

SH — Marco Balderas 82 run (Klemp run), 6:20.

SH — Klonglan 47 run (Klemp run), 4:41.

SH — Klonglan 7 run (run failed), 0:27.

Fourth Quarter

SH — Grant Evans 1 run (kick failed), 7:58.

Individual Statistics

Rushing — OG: Aaron McCutcheon 5-48, Sam Christensen 19-(-5). SH: DJ Klonglan 16-166, Logan Klemp 21-123, Marco Balderas 3-87, Grant Evans 7-27.

Passing — OG: Christensen 3-13-0 40.

Receiving — OG: Lucas Elsner 3-31, Jacob Kathman 2-9.

Tackles — SH: Klemp 6, Sam Lewis 41⁄2, Mateo Balderas 41⁄2, Zeke Balderas 41⁄2, Evans 31⁄2, Nathan Laube 3, Mar. Balderas 2, Jared Ullestad 2, Trevor Thompson 1, Teagan Risetter 1, Jacob Kooker 1.

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