By Anthony Gorges
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Salthawks came up short in their season opener against the Andover Trojans, falling 32-21 Friday night at Gowans Stadium in Hutchinson.
Andover scored the first points of the game on a 79-yard quarterback keeper by Will Quinn, giving the Trojans a 7-0 lead with 6:24 remaining in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Trojans extended their lead on a 7-yard touchdown connection between Quinn and wide receiver Carson Goentzel to make it 14-0.
Hutchinson quickly answered. On the next offensive play, the Salthawks scored their first touchdown of the season. Junior quarterback Davin Morgan connected with senior Lamar Govain for a 63-yard touchdown.
Morgan initially fumbled the snap before heaving the ball downfield. Govain cut between two defenders, made the catch and raced into the end zone to cut Andover's lead to 14-7 late in the first half. The score remained unchanged heading into halftime, with the Trojans holding a seven-point lead.
In the second half, Andover's flexbone offense flexed its muscles. The Trojans found success with quarterback keepers and dives up the middle before beginning to gash the Salthawks with deep passes. One of those completions resulted in a 67-yard touchdown.
Andover also added a field goal to take a 25-7 lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter.
Despite trailing by three scores, the Salthawks deserve credit for their fight. Hutchinson scored two more touchdowns, both on passes from Morgan to Govain.
The first was a 53-yard touchdown in which Govain shed multiple tacklers on his way to the end zone. The final touchdown of the game came with less than three minutes remaining and was a 21-yard connection between Morgan and Govain.
Govain had nine receiving touchdowns last season and added three more Friday night. He is now tied for the most receiving touchdowns in school history.
Andover ran out the clock to secure the 32-21 victory. The Trojans improved to 1-0, while the Salthawks fell to 0-1.
Despite the loss, new Hutchinson High School football coach Luke Berblinger said in his postgame radio interview that there were plenty of positives to build on. Outside of the outcome, Berblinger said he loved the experience of leading the team.
Hutchinson (0-1) will play at Derby (1-0) next Friday night. The game will be broadcast on 1450 AM/98.5 FM KWBW Radio.