The Chillicothe Hornets were on the road at Macon in the first round of the Class 3 District 8 tournament on Friday night. Chillicothe entered as the 5 seed following a 4-5 regular season while the Tigers hosted as the 4 seed after a 7-2 season.
Macon received the opening kickoff and quickly worked the ball down the field, capping off the opening drive with a five yard rushing score from Hunter Deuser. Following a Hornets punt, Macon was stifled by the Chillicothe defense and punted as well, only for the Hornets to muff the punt and set the Tigers up in the red zone. After a pair of sacks from Max Probasco and Dallyn Bailey, Macon faced a 3rd and 29. Tigers quarterback Talen Holman launched a ball toward the end zone, Hornets defensive back Cooper Robinson made a play on the ball to deflect the pass, but the concentration from Macon receiver Rance Crouch was impeccable as he adjusted to make the grab across the goal line for the 33 yard score putting Macon ahead 14-0.
Chillicothe then went to work on the ground, just past midfield, Henry Hurtgen ripped off a long run, breaking tackles and found paydirt from 45 yards out. In the process, Hurtgen went over 2000 rushing yards for the season, and broke the Chillicothe long-standing single season rushing record of 2024 yards set by David Macoubre in the 1978 season.
Chillicothe trailed 14-7 at the end of the quarter but used the momentum from Hurtgen to close the deficit with another rushing score from the Hornets lead back, this time on a 40 yard scamper. Just before the end of the half, Chillicothe’s Paxton Keith intercepted Holman near the goal line, to enter the break down just 14-13.
To start the 2nd half, the Hornets moved the ball into Macon territory before Burke Beetsma was intercepted on a third down. Macon quickly turned that into points as Holman hooked up with Crouch again, cashing in on a 65 yard passing touchdown to open up a 21-13 lead.
Chillicothe went back to establishing the run, dominating the line of scrimmage and scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives. Hurtgen cut the deficit to 21-19, then after a three and out, Cooper Robinson gave Chillicothe their first lead early in the 4th quarter on a 25 yard score. The Hornets defense came up big once more, forcing another punt and Hurtgen tacked on his 4th touchdown of the game to open up a 31-21 advantage.
Macon entered the red zone but after a sack by Hurtgen, the Tigers were facing a 4th and goal from the 22 with under three minutes to play. Holman delivered a rocket to Kennon Isaacson in the front of the end zone under pressure to give the Tigers life. Macon attempted an onside kick but Hurtgen was there too, recovering the ball to secure possession.
The Hornets once more relied on their senior running back, as Hurtgen picked up a pair of first downs to run out the clock, preserving the 31-28 Chillicothe victory. Hurtgen rushed for 322 yards on 38 carries and 4 touchdowns. It was a season high on the ground for Hurtgen who is now at 2295 rushing yards on the year. With the win, Chillicothe advances to the Class 3 District 8 semifinal against St. Pius X next Friday night.
