By CURT HORNBECKER/Staff Correspondent
HANCOCK — After three first-half turnovers put Hancock’s football team in a hole, six dropped passes in the second half made certain the Panthers stayed there.
Meanwhile, Bishop Walsh racked up 407 yards of total offense to trounce the Panthers 48-22 in the season finale for both teams on Friday.
“(Turnovers) put us in a hole we couldn’t get out of,” said Hancock coach Dave Mahaffey. “But I don’t want the last game to end on a negative note. We never stopped battling. The score looks bad, but the game was a lot closer.”
Trey Walters got Bishop Walsh (6-4) started early, scoring from 13 yards out on the Spartans’ first possession and scampering in from the 23 following Mickey Burkett’s interception of a Garrett Wiles pass.
But Nick Lanehart — who finished with 150 yards on 15 carries for the Panthers (4-6) — sparked a nine-play, 72-yard march capped by Wiles’ 5-yard run, giving the momentum back to Hancock.
Nineteen seconds later, the momentum was gone. Walters broke several tackles while weaving his way to an 87-yard kickoff return for a 20-8 Spartans lead.
That score stood until a Jason Hartman interception gave Bishop Walsh possession at its own 31 with 2:36 remaining in the half. It proved to be just enough time for the Spartans to make it 27-8 at halftime, with Greg Hendershot hitting freshman Quincy Redmon for a 3-yard scoring pass.
Offsetting penalties nullified Walters’ second kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half, but Redmon sprinted 63 yards down the left sideline on the second play from scrimmage to increase the lead to 35-8.
Redmon added his third touchdown less than three minutes later on a 23-yard strike from Hendershot.
Lanehart, who replaced the injured Wiles at quarterback for Hancock in the second half, found Ryan Poole for a 19-yard gain on the ensuing series, and finished it off with a 38-yard run to close the gap to 41-14.
After Jamie Nolan’s 6-yard score made it 48-14, Lanehart wrapped up the scoring with a 17-yard run late in the fourth period.
Walters finished the game with 115 yards rushing on eight carries for the Spartans.
| Bishop Walsh | 20 | 7 | 14 | 7 | — | 48 |
| Hancock | 8 | 0 | 6 | 8 | — | 22 |
BW-Trey Walters, 13 run (Quincy Redmon kick)
BW-Walters, 23 run (Redmon kick)
H-Garrett Wiles, 5 run (Eli Souders, pass from Wiles)
BW-Walters, 87 kickoff return (kick failed)
BW-Redmon, 3 pass from Greg Hendershot (Redmon kick)
BW-Redmon, 63 run (Redmon kick)
BW-Redmon, 17 pass from Hendershot) Redmon kick)
H-Nick Lanehart, 38 run (run failed)
BW-Jamie Nolan, 6 run (Redmon kick)
H-Lanehart, 17 run (Ben True run
| JB | BS | |
| First downs | 6 | 21 |
| Rushes-yards | 19-52 | 34-406 |
| Passing yards | 81 | 83 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 10-22-2 | 5-8-0 |
| Total offense | 41-133 | 42-489 |
| Punts-avg. | 4-21.3 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 4-36 | 2-29 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 1-0 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Bishop Walsh, Walters 8-115, Hendershot 7-10, Lindelof 9-40, Redmon 2-63, J. Mathews, 1-(minus 1), C Mathews 2-16. Hancock, Lanehart 15-150, Clark 8-21, Dobrzanski 8-29, Wiles 2-19, Faith 1-2, True 2-9.
PASSING—Bishop Walsh, Hendershot 11-18-150-0, Redmon 0-1-0-0. Hancock, Wiles 3-10-2, Lanehart 2-12-1.
RECEIVING—Bishop Walsh, Hartman 4-53, Redmon4-67, Nolan 1-11, Rhodes 1-12. Hancock, Souders 2-14, Poole 3-3-39.
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