GODDARD, Kan. — The Hutchinson High School Salthawks football team opened the season on Friday night with a 7-3 loss to the Goddard Eisenhower Tigers at Goddard District Stadium.
After a scoreless first half in which both teams struggled to move the ball, Hutchinson got the ball to start the second half. The Salthawks marched the ball down the field, putting points on the board. HHS got on the board with a 36-yard Taysen Runyon field goal with 3:25 left in the period to break the scoreless contest. The Salthawks went 14 plays on the drive that ate up 8:29 off the third quarter clock.
Eisenhower (1-0) took advantage of the next Salthawk drive, blocking the Runyon punt, scooping it up and scoring from 15 yards out was Makai Tagatac. The touchdown and PAT were the only points the Tigers scored, but that would be the difference maker.
Hutchinson (0-1) ran 67 plays in the contest accounting for 240 yards, while Eisenhower ran just 36 plays for 118 yards. The Salthawks struggled on fourth down, going 0-for-5. Hutchinson also dominated time of possession, 30:28 to 17:36.
Zion Burgess led the Salthawks with 33 carries for 166 yards, while Lucas Dickman paced Eisenhower with 19 carries for 107 yards. Both quarterbacks struggled to throw the ball, as Robert Hunter went 4-for-11 for 39 yards for the Salthawks, and Derek Morgan finished 5-for-9 for 15 yards for the Tigers.
Hutchinson will host Newton (0-1) on Friday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at Gowans Stadium, while Goddard Eisenhower is on the road at Salina Central (1-0).