Led by big rushing efforts of Landon Olson and Cole Hebl, Hillsboro-Central Valley beats Thompson, 42-8
Oct. 15—THOMPSON — Hillsboro-Central Valley can employ spread formations, drop the quarterback into the shotgun and send receivers in motion. The Burros did that a few times in their Region 2 matchup here Friday.
But the Burros were at their best when they simplified their approach and just played straight-ahead power football in a 42-8 win over rival Thompson, thereby earning the region's top seed in the upcoming Class 11B playoffs.
HCV got a career effort from tailback Landon Olson, a junior tailback who gained 250 yards on 20 carries, while fullback Cole Hebl added 122 yards on nine carries. They did nearly all of their damage while running from a classic "I" formation, mixing in straight power runs with veer options and a few short toss sweeps. Late in the game, the Burros even lined up in a three-back power "I" — a formation that was popular a generation ago but one that doesn't see much use in today's wide-open, spread-offense playbooks.
"Our M.O. is power football. We're going to do what we do," Hillsboro-Central Valley coach Scott Olsen said, noting that the team's offensive line is now healthy, "and when that unit is pushing, they can move people."
It was the kind of night perfect for power football. It was a breezy 40 degrees at kickoff, and the temperature fell to 34 degrees by game's end.
The teams traded possessions early on before HCV's offense started to click late in the first quarter. After the Burros got the ball on a turnover at their own 38-yard line, Hebl broke free on a fullback dive — coming on an option play — that went for 41 yards. Three running plays later, Olson scored from 11 yards out.
Later in the quarter, Hebl did it again — this time a 51-yard run on a dive into the line that went for a touchdown. An 8-yard option keeper by quarterback Riley Olsen made it 21-0 just before halftime.
Thompson scored on the opening play of the second half when Max Roller took the kickoff, faked a reverse, and sprinted for an 85-yard touchdown that allowed Thompson to cut the score to 21-8.
But from there, Landon Olson — running behind that strong offensive line and key blocks from Hebl — sealed the win and the region's No. 1 seed for Hillsboro-Central Valley.
He had a 70-yard run that set up his own 1-yard score and later had a 43-yard run that led to his final touchdown — from 8 yards out — with 6 minutes to play.
"It starts with the offensive line," the junior tailback said. "They were making good blocks and once the hole opens, you just have to let loose. Everything just happened — bang, bang. It was great."
Overall, Hillsboro-Central Valley finished with more than 425 yards rushing.
Olsen, the coach, said that after the first few drives, "Hebl set the tone with the inside dive option play and after him, Landon really turned it up. He ran as hard as he ran all year."
And considering the rivalry between the schools, he said, "whenever you can get a win against Thompson, it's a good day."
Hillsboro-Central Valley now is 8-1 and will host a game in the first round of the Class 11B playoffs next weekend. Thompson is 7-2 and will travel to Oakes in the first round.
The Tommies finished with 68 yards rushing. Quarterback Jake Starcevic was 11-of-20 passing for 95 yards.
"Coming into the game, I knew this was a possibility. They're a big, physical football team. I knew that if we didn't leave it all on the field all night long, this could happen. They can physically pound the ball at times, and they did," Thompson coach Alex Starcevic said. "Their strength is something we're probably not quite as good at. ... Sometimes, their X's are bigger than our O's."
Stacevic said he was disappointed with the loss, but still pleased by the Tommies' 7-2 record.
"It's something to be proud of," he said. "And the season's not over yet, either."
NOTE: All statistics in this report are unofficial.
Second quarter
HCV: Landon Olson 11 run (Micah Longthorne kick)
HCV: Cole Hebl 51 run (Longthorne kick)
HCV: Riley Olsen 8 run (Longthorne kick)
Third quarter
THOMPSON: Max Roller 85 kickoff return (Gavin Krogstad pass from Alex Starcevic)
HCV: Landon Olson 1 run (Boeden Allen kick)
HVC: Peter Dryburgh 16 pass from Riley Olsen (Allen kick)
Fourth quarter
HCV: Landon Olson 8 run (Allen kick)
