Lightning strikes in more ways than one

Ominous storm clouds were a portent of what was to come during a Class A District 1 football game between Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn and Akron-Westfield on Sept. 15.

Akron-Westfield's offense struck like lightning, scoring on five consecutive first-half possessions. Then threatening weather forced suspension of the game. As conditions in the Akron area did not improve, it was decided to end the contest.

As a result, the half time score became the final score: Westerners 36, Hawks 8.

The loss was the fourth straight of the season for H-M-S.

"I want great things for our kids and right now the margin of victory is so small, it's almost that we have to play a high-level perfect game," Hawk coach Jay Eilers acknowledged. "We're asking a lot of kids to do some things at the varsity level that is high caliber and it's a high task to ask. I appreciate kids' willingness to be coached and I appreciate their willingness to jump in, but that experience level is very thin."

The Westerners' passing attack was effective throughout the half. Quarterback Laytin Koch threw scoring passes of 25 and 30 yards in the first quarter.

An inability to pressure opposing quarterbacks continues to be a concern for H-M-S.

"The key is, it's not always sacks but can we make him uncomfortable," Eilers noted. "We need to get better there. We're going to have to speed up a quarterback's timing and that's going to help our guys in the back end tremendously."

Ethan Wiersma carried the ball seven straight times to begin the Hawks' first drive. A 53-yard pass from Jack Mastbergen to Zach Pearson then advanced the ball to the A-W 3. Wiersma scored on the next play and added the conversion to give H-M-S an 8-7 lead.

"Zach went up and caught an amazing ball for us, and just made a great play. What a confidence booster for that young man," Eilers said.

After falling behind 21-8 in the second quarter, H-M-S ground out a long drive into Westerner territory. Akron-Westfield ended it with an interception and quickly scored on a 60-yard pass. They scored again just before the half – and ultimately the game – ended.

Mastbergen was 3-of-4 in passing for 69 yards. In addition to Pearson's reception, Wiersma caught a pass for 11 yards and Slayton McCarter caught another for five.

Wiersma rushed for 80 yards on 20 attempts.

"I expected more from us, from the caliber of guys we have up front," he said. "That's something I'm always going to kind of pound the table on and believe in us. The culture we have is we're going to be physical.

Tackle leaders were Wiersma 5.0, David Wetrich 4.5, Mastbergen 4.0, Adam Schierholz 2.5 and Jayden Leth 2.0.

• Next Up: vs. Kingsley-Pierson

Things do not get easier for H-M-S, which hosts Kingsley-Pierson (3-1) for a non-district game on Sept. 22. It is also this year's Homecoming game and Eilers is embracing the opportunity it presents.

"No. 1, let's enjoy it. We've got a great community. We've got a great school district. Let's enjoy it," he said. "But let's not forget our responsibility to take care of the football game and make sure that we're doing our jobs. If I know our kids they're going to play hard and represent Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, and I appreciate the heck out of them."

The Panthers have a big quarterback who can run, and throws the ball to a pair of skilled and talented receivers. On defense, K-P's linebackers flow to the ball very well.

"We're going to have to get better at playing the pass," Eilers said. "We're going to have to make sure that we're tackling in numbers."

Who decides?

Rules for determining whether a game can continue

Whenever weather conditions are an issue during an outdoor athletic event, rules in place will determine who decides when to stop action and whether the contest will resume.

Hazardous weather rules for high school football state, "If thunder is heard or cloud-to-ground lightning is seen, immediately suspend the event and instruct everyone to take shelter in a safe structure."

If threatening conditions are observed prior to game officials assuming authority, the host school's administration decides whether to suspend or postpone the contest. When game officials are in authority, sufficient time is to be given to see if severe weather will subside. Home management and/or contest officials determine whether to postpone or resume the game.

The section governing when a contest cannot be resumed states, "Administrators from both schools need to come to an agreement. The contest may be considered complete with the existing score becoming the final score, or the contest may be postponed and continued from the point of interruption, at a time mutually agreed to by both schools."

Due to the continuing threat of severe weather in the Akron area, it was determined that Friday night's game should be considered complete and would not be resumed.