Hawks Take On Wallace Wildcats on Friday Night
York News-Times Reprint
Written by Christian Horn – Sports Editor
HAMPTON — All fall, the season on the gridiron has served as a bit of a last ride for the Hampton boys before the all-sports co-op with Heartland takes effect next year.
During their final season as the Hawks, head coach Jereme Jones’ crew was able to clinch its fourth straight playoff berth with a strong 7-1 campaign.
“I am extremely happy with how things have gone, especially considering the adversity we have faced. We have lost three starters to season-ending injuries, two of which were only able to play one game, and have spent most of the season with only 9 or 10 healthy players for practice,” Jones said. “Despite that, we have managed to go 7-1; a lot of credit goes to our players and their ability to overcome adversity and adapt. A lot of times we have a scout team made up of a student manager and 1-2 coaches, and we still get great work in each day at practice.”
The Hawks’ reward for a season of hard work through adversity is the program’s first home playoff game since 2009, with Hampton earning the No. 7 seed at the 6-man ranks.
They will host the 10-seed Wallace Wildcats (6-2) on Friday night to begin their final postseason push. To that end, the Hawks will hope to build upon their experience from each of the past three years as they look to pick up their first opening-round win under Jones.
“In the past three years we were low seeds, or in ‘23 we were the 11th seed but ran into a 6th seed in Hay Springs who played for the state championship,” Jones said. “This time we are the higher seed, which I hope will give our kids some confidence as well. We have played a team that qualified for the state championship game each of the last three years, so our guys know what it takes to compete against the best.”
Landen Hansen has done admirably under center since taking over for injured quarterback Wyatt Dose; the sophomore has completed 27 of 44 passes for 568 yards and 12 touchdowns.
In the past, Hampton has been a predominantly run-first offense, leaning on the presence of three-time 1,000-yard rusher Jack Bullis in the backfield.
The emergence of the passing game this fall has made the Hawks’ attack more balanced, but the run game has still been very effective.
As a team, Hampton’s run 113 times for 781 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging more than six yards a pop as a unit.
There is no dominant workhorse like Bullis was, with the Hawks instead utilizing a three-headed monster of Landen and Kyler Rojewski plus Mason Wiens.
All three have 140-plus rushing yards and together the trio have combined for 92 of the team’s 113 carries.
Landen Rojewski and Wiens are also the team’s two leading receivers, meaning a lot of the Hampton skill players are versatile.
While Hampton’s offense has been balanced this fall, they will face a Wallace unit that has looked a lot like the Hawks’ recent outfits.
The Wildcats are a ground and pound team with more than 2,000 rushing yards on the season.
“It will be one of the most physical teams we have faced, and we are going to have to be able to match their physicality and intensity. They also run the option, which is rare in 6-man, so we are going to have to be very disciplined,” Jones said. “We have, for the most part, been successful in controlling run games this year, but it’s definitely going to be one of our toughest matchups. If we can force them to spread out and throw, we will have a good chance to win.”
Defensively, the Hawks have played well this year, only allowing 20-plus points in three games and giving up more than 25 points only once in a loss at Stuart.
Kyler Rojewski leads the way with 70 total tackles and Wiens has 63, with Tyler Mollevik and Landen Rojewski both also recording more than 50 stops.
They’ll be among the leaders tasked with slowing down the Wallace run game and limiting the chunk plays, which their head coach called the single biggest key Friday night.
“If we can make them earn their way down the field, we increase the chances of them making mistakes. No. 2 is being efficient with our passing game,” Jones said. “When we’ve had the most success this year is when we were able to hit big plays in the passing game and, with a team like Wallace, we will need to have that kind of success in the air to keep up with them on the scoreboard. No. 3, as always, comes down to special teams and turnovers. The team that can make plays in special teams and win the turnover battle, usually wins close games like this.”
Opening kick is set for 7 p.m. Friday night in Hampton.
Regardless of the outcome this week, the Hawks getting a chance to host postseason football in their final season before the co-op takes effect is a fitting way to send the program out on a high note.
“This is huge for our program and our community. Our goal to start the season was to play at home in the playoffs, something that hadn’t been done since 2009, and we achieved that,” Jones said. “The last home game was a special way to send the program off for our alumni, but having a home playoff game makes it even more special since this is the last sporting event of any kind that will take place in Hampton with the Hampton Hawks participating. I hope that we have a big crowd to support us and to help us end our final home game with a huge win.”
