Scoreless second half dooms Highland Park

Hononegah 35, Highland Park 14

THE SKINNY

In its first Class 7A playoff appearance in three years, Highland Park grabbed a 14-13 halftime lead against Hononegah Saturday but would be shut out in the second half.

TURNING POINT

Hononegah (8-2) went up 28-14 in the third quarter, but the Giants missed an opportunity to cut into the lead. Highland Park quarterback Tommy Sutker, who hurt his knee last week, was sacked on a fourth-and-9 play at the Hononegah 15.

THE STAR

Hononegah’s Alex Martin and Jake Wilson each had 205 yards rushing. Martin carried 34 times and had two rushing touchdowns, while Wilson had 27 attempts with two TDs.

BY THE NUMBERS

Offensively, Hononegah held a 467-280 edge in total yards. The Indians had seven fumbles in the game, but wouldn’t be hurt by the Giants’ offense. Jack McGuire led the Giants with seven solo tackles. Sutker finished with 257 yards passing with one passing TD and one interception.

QUOTABLE

“Our quarterback was playing on one leg today. He didn’t practice all week. It was a very gusty effort on his part. He just couldn’t get anything going on his throws. We could throw the ball on them. I would have liked to have played that game with Tommy (Sutker) healthy, but it’s football and that’s part of it.” — Highland Park coach Hal Chiodo