Hays quarterback Caleb Kimbro (11) passed for 252 yards but it wasn't enough as Anderson's running game paved the way for the Trojans to leave house park with a 28-21 win over the Rebs Thursday night. (www.chaparralphoto.com)
By JASON GORDON
AUSTIN — If the Hays football team didn’t believe what head coach Blake Feldt had been preaching to them during the week the Rebels should now.
Feldt said after a week’s worth of sub-par performances in practice he thought his Rebels might be vulnerable. It turns out they were in a 28-21 loss to Anderson Thursday night at House Park.
Three times in the first half alone Hays (1-1) was inside Anderson territory and failed to come away with points. One of the drives ended with the Trojans picking off a pass and taking it all the way to the end zone for six points.
“Until we learn to improve our work habits in practice, we’ll be an average old football team,” Feldt said. “We played exactly like we practiced. We gave away a lot of chances to score.”
Devonte Dewitty rushed for 170 yards on only 14 caries for Anderson and Adam Hochman burst through the Hays defensive line for the game-winning touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
“Everybody in Austin knows who Devonte Dewitty is,” Anderson head coach Bill Ramzinsky said. “He’s the guy that makes our offense go.”
Anderson (2-0) used Dewitty as a decoy midway through the fourth quarter when Hochman scored on a 21-yard fullback trap play to break a 21-21 tie.
The Trojans rushed for a total of 315 yards in the game.
“Anderson did a great job blocking up front and they have a lot of good backs,” Feldt said.
Anderson’s ability to come up with the big play gave it the first half lead.
Fletcher Roberts got things started by picking off a deflected pass and rumbling 60 yards for a score to give the Trojans an early 7-0 lead.
Hays had the answer when Mason Cervenka busted through two Anderson defenders after catching a short pass in the flat and turning it into a 22-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Kimbro.
Next it was the beginning of the Dewitty show for the Trojans, as he took a sweep left and sprinted away 44 yards for a touchdown that gave Anderson a 14-7 lead with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter.
After Rueben De La Rosa recovered a Hays fumble, Dewitty was at it again, this time taking another pitch to the left side before reversing his field. The befuddled Hays defense couldn’t keep up and the speedy back jetted away for a 60-yard scoring run to help give Anderson a 21-14 lead at the break.
Hays tied the game at 21-21 after Adam Castro picked a pass that was deflected off Cervenka’s hands out of the air. He sped away for an 80-yard touchdown with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Hays’ starting center Boone Feldt, Blake’s son, was taken to the hospital via ambulance for precautionary measures at after sustaining a big hit in the first quarter but was released before the end of the game.
The Rebels are back in action next Friday against Hays county foe San Marcos at Bobcat Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
