The Hancock Owls got onto the field for a “home” game against Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal at Big Cat Stadium in Morris Aug. 31. The Owls steamrolled the Titans throughout the game on their way to an easy 50-14 victory. Complete stats were not available at print. For full recap from Hancock vs NCE/UH as well as Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta vs Minnewaska, check in with the Sept. 12 issue of the Stevens County Times.
The Titans received the ball first in the game, but punted the ball back to the Owls. Hancock went right down the field on their first drive and Chase Evink scampered in from 17 yards out to give Hancock a 6-0 advantage.
Both defenses took over for a few drives, with each team punting, but Hancock eventually extended their lead when Winston Schaefer took a sweep around the left side to score and make it 12-0 with 10 minutes left in the first half.
The Titans came back to get their first points of the game with a touchdown in the second quarter to make it 12-6 just two-and-a-half minutes after the Owls scored.
It did not take long for Hancock to strike back. Brady Luthi completed a short pass to Nathan Kellenberger and he broke it for 54 yards to make it 18-6 with just over four minutes left in the half.
For good measure, Luthi added a short TD run after a fumble with just 20 seconds left in the half to make it 26-6 at the break.
The Owls continued to stretch their advantage in the second half. Just over three minutes into the third quarter, Hancock scored on a one yard TD run from Evink to make it 32-6. Evink scored another from 55 yards out to make it 38-6 with five minutes in the third.
The Titans finally got in the double digits with a TD with 3:30 left in the third to make it 38-14, but less than 30 seconds of game time later, Evink added an 80-yard TD and it was 44-14.
In the fourth, Jeremiah Schmigdall scored on a 35-yard run to make it 50-14 and push the game into running time.
The Owls sealed their first win of the season by 36 points and are set to take on Border West at Minnewaska High School Friday, Sept. 8.
