Experience may be the best teacher

If an athletic field is an extension of the classroom, then the opening game of the 2023 football season could be a valuable learning experience for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn.

H-M-S came out on the short end of a 51-7 score at West Sioux on Aug. 25. However, Hawk coach Jay Eilers said what was learned could be a building block for the season.

"I think it starts with confidence, and I think that confidence comes from experience," he said. "We had quite a few young men raise their hand, 'Hey, this is the first varsity game I've played in my career,' so I think that confidence has to come from their experiences."

The Falcons built a 30-0 first-half lead with three touchdown runs, a 42-yard scoring pass and a 34-yard field goal. Two scores were set up by Hawk fumbles, one of which ended their only drive past midfield.

H-M-S opened the second half with a 10-play drive that stalled inside the Falcon 30.

"I thought we had a really good play to try to get us a first down. We ended up making a mistake, which mistakes happen. We'll learn from them," Eilers remarked. "But how much time we took off the clock in that series, and to shorten games like that is something we are going to have to be able to do moving forward."

The Hawks' only touchdown came on a 38-yard run by quarterback Jack Mastbergen in the fourth quarter. T.J. Jahns kicked the extra point.

Mastbergen was the leading rusher with 94 yards on 17 carries. Jr Araiza ran for 49 yards and Ethan Wiersma gained 32. In the passing game, Mastbergen completed an 11-yard pass to Araiza and a two-yarder to Evan Eilers.

West Sioux scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Eilers acknowledged that "catastrophic mistakes" at times put the defense in "horrible positions." But he also felt the defense was not as aggressive as it could have been.

"I do think we were sitting on our heels. Part of it is their passing game does a nice job of making you respect the downfield stuff," Eilers noted. "But another part is that football is played downhill. Let's play downhill."

Leading tacklers were Wiersma, 4.5; Aidan Espeland, 4.0; Bradley Van Beek and David Wetrich, 3.5; Adam Schierholz and Bryce Ortega, 2.5; Jafet Ortiz, Isaac Schierholz, Araiza and Mastbergen, 2.0. Eilers had the only tackle for loss.

"The thing is, I know these kids want it. There's a desire. They proved it all winter. They proved it all summer," Eilers said. "We're going to be ready for Week 2. I know that."

• Next Up: at Alta-Aurelia

H-M-S and Alta-Aurelia open Class A District 1 play this Friday at Aurelia. Both teams will be hungry for a win after losing their season openers.

Statistics from the Warriors' 27-7 loss to Kingsley-Pierson indicate they relied heavily on sophomore quarterback Camden Reinert, who passed for 183 yards.

"I know their quarterback play is going to be good. When you have coaches' sons as quarterbacks, they get coached up 24-7," Eilers said.

The coaching staff is more focused on the Hawks than the opponent.

"I think the focus is, how do we help our kids get better? I like the process that we use during the week. We're going to stay with that process to build these kids up," he said.