Game could decide which team goes to regional tournament
Staff writer
With wins over Southeast of Saline and Herington, the Hillsboro Trojans are in control of their own destiny, but in their path to district play is their county rival Marion.
After losing to SES on Friday, Marion needs to win and win by at least 13 points to force a three-team tie for district honors, assuming that SES will defeat Herington.
Can Hillsboro fight off an inspired Warriors team? Do the Warriors have the ability to fight their way out of the corner that they have been forced into?
These questions will be answered Thursday in Marion.
With a glance at each team’s schedule, the Trojans and Warriors appear to be mirror images of each other, with the Warriors at 5-3 and Hillsboro at 6-2. Both teams have wins over Ellinwood, Sterling, and Herington and lopsided losses to Hoisington.
One of the stark differences is that Hillsboro lost 16-13 to Lyons and Marion destroyed Lyons 34-6. Marion also lost one of its three games to an unbeaten Wichita Collegiate team.
“We’ve had the opportunity to follow them all year and we’ve been pretty impressed,” Hillsboro coach Max Heinrichs said of Marion. “They beat teams pretty handily and we squeak by.”
The other key difference between the two teams’ resumes are their performances against Southeast of Saline. Hillsboro beat SES at home 24-12 and Marion lost in Gypsum 16-0.
Hillsboro needs to prove it can beat an opponent of equal strength in a hostile environment.