Hempfield keeps Butler winless, snaps losing streak

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, October 19, 2018 | 11:03 PM

Hempfield won one for the seniors Friday night to end a seven-game losing streak in the Spartans’ final home football game of the season.

“We were counting on this win to get a good push for next season and one last good home win for this season,” said Dante Lampkin, one of two seniors in the Spartans’ starting lineup.

Hempfield, with Lampkin accounting for one of the Spartans’ three interceptions, started fast and built a three-touchdown lead in the first half before holding on to defeat winless Butler, 31-14, in a game between Class 6A Conference cellar-dwellers.

“It’s always nice to win on senior night, and everybody got to play,” Hempfield coach Rich Bowen said. “That’s a good thing.”

Junior Nathan Roby rushed for 109 yards and scored on a 14-yard run and a 26-yard pass from Blake Remaley to lead Hempfield (2-7, 1-7).

Remaley, also a junior, completed 9 of 17 passes for 162 yards, and sophomore Mario Perkins added 90 yards rushing, including a 1-yard touchdown run. Perkins returned an interception 60 yards for another score in the fourth quarter to seal the outcome.

“Our juniors and sophomores have stepped up big this year,” Lampkin said. “We only had a couple of seniors who played substantial time. This season would be nothing without the juniors and sophomores, and I’m really excited to see what they can do next season.”

Butler, which hadn’t completed a touchdown pass all season and entered the game averaging 6.8 points, scored twice on scoring passes.

Quarterback Kyler Calihan rushed for 100 yards and passed for 179 for the Golden Tornado (0-9, 0-7), threw a 91-yard touchdown pass to Chris Mertz and a tossed 11-yarder to Logan Donnel to account for all the scoring.

“We’re treating this as a 12-game season,” Bowen said. “The last two games here and 10 games next year. We’re trying to build momentum for next year, and this senior class did a good job leading us to that.”

If not for a pair of Remaley fumbles, Hempfield’s halftime lead of 21-7 might have been more. Both times, the Spartans had advanced into Butler territory.

Hempfield scored on its first two possessions, both touchdowns by Roby, and led 14-0 after the first quarter.

Perkins’ 1-yard touchdown run gave Hempfield a 21-0 lead with 9 minutes, 34 seconds left in the second quarter.

Butler was turned back on its first real scoring opportunity when Lampkin intercepted Calihan’s pass at the Butler goal line. But the Golden Tornado succeeded in reaching the end zone on their next possession, when Chris Mertz got behind the Hempfield secondary and accepted a 91-yard pass from Calihan.

Leading 21-7, Hempfield frantically tried to add on, and the Spartans appeared to have notched another touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half. But Remaley’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Roby was nullified by a penalty.

Yet the Spartans were able to add on with Caleb Kaylor’s 32-yard field goal, his first of the season, as time expired.

Butler cut the Hempfield lead to 24-14 on Calihan’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Logan Donnel.

“We came out like a ball of fire,” Bowen said, “but as usual, we went into a little bit of a lull, and we have to find a way to get rid of that lull and put teams away.”

With time winding down and Calihan attempting to rally the Golden Tornado, Perkins stepped in front of a Calihan pass at the Butler 40 and outraced the defense to the end zone.

“We just wanted to get these juniors and sophomores on a good start for next season,” Lampkin said.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Butler, Hempfield