Hanover hits high note with 2-0 start to season
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Hanover head coach Bill Reichart stood with his team, huddled together and joined by arms, singing "God Bless America." The Nighthawks dedicated its game Friday at Kennard-Dale to those lost in the 9/11 attacks.
"We sang it in the locker room before the game and I challenged them to win so we could sing it afterward. I think it was pretty special," Reichart said of the song.
The team finished the song and headed toward the locker room, passing by Kennard-Dale's new-and-improved scoreboard, which read Hanover 41, Kennard-Dale 14.
That result, Hanover's second win of the season, means the Nighthawks have matched the number of wins they posted all of last season, as the team is off to a 2-0 start and has outscored the opposition 74-14.
It's the type of start that makes Reichart think the team should do a little more singing.
"I think it added a lot of spark. Maybe we'll do a tradition moving forward. These guys are talking about maybe singing the alma mater or something after the next one. I got some characters and when they play I'm so proud of them. I think we have a lot of potential."
That potential could be dependent on one constant for Hanover: senior quarterback Kyle Krout, the reigning league leader in passing.
Krout was sharp throughout, going 8-for-16 with 262 and four touchdowns to lead the way. This season, though, he said he's not concerned with the passing title.
"I'm so much more worried about the wins this year," he said. "It's a great feeling at the top, but it feels so much better to be at the top of the win column. I'm excited for that."
Three of Krout's touchdown passes came in the second quarter, where Hanover separated itself from Kennard-Dale (0-2) and took a 28-0 lead into halftime.
Reichart said there's no mystery in what Krout can do on the field, but it's the other aspects of the offense that he wants more from.
"I have the utmost confidence for [Krout] to do anything out there," he said. "We knew we'd be good passing tonight and this season. But we are trying to develop a run game to get more balanced."
Hanover added 235 rushing yards, led by Devon Bell, who ran for 121 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown to start the scoring for the away team. In total, it tallied almost 200 more yards than last week.
Quarterback Dalton Stike stood out for Kennard-Dale, splitting reps with Daniel Brewers, but passing for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
Hanover72167—41Kennard-Dale0068—14
First Quarter
H — Devon Bell 33 rush (Kenworth kick), 5:19.
Second Quarter
H — Resean Williams 66 pass from Kyle Krout (Kenworth kick), 8:23.
H — Colten Ehrhart 66 pass from Kyle Krout (Kenworth kick), 5:54.
H — Luis Lara 15 pass from Kyle Krout (Kenworth kick), 7:10.
Third Quarter
H — Duvall 1 rush (Kenworth kick blocked), 10:33.
KD — Jacob Deppen 6 pass from Dalton Stike (Two-point no good), 7:31
Fourth Quarter
KD — Kyle Woolridge 14 pass from Dalton Stike (Two-point good), 9:27.
H — Hunter Martz 15 pass from Kyle Krout (Kenworth kick), 2:05.
HKDFirst downs1314Rushes-yards37-22537-82Passing8-16-116-36-0 Passing yards272206 Total yards497288Fumbles-lost2-14-2 Penalties-yards5-254-30
Individual statistics
Rushing — H, Jordan Laughman 6-18, Kyle Krout 4-20, Devon Bell 15-121, Resean Williams 3-14, Justin Barnes 3-18, Austin Snider 2-19, Deandre Kerr 4-25, Adam Duvall, 1-1. KD, Chase Carlile 15-37, Austin Jenkins 5-7, Jacob Deppen 2-9, Nicholas Workinger 5-27, Daniel Brewer 4-0, Dalton Stike 6-2
Passing — H, Kyle Krout 8-16-262. KD, Daniel Brewer 8-18-59, Dalton Stike 8-18-147
Receiving — H, Colten Ehrhart 3-125, Resean Williams 1-66, Nicholas Workinger 1-15, Luis Lara 1-15, Nick Seymour 1-36, Hunter Martz 1-15. KD, Chase Carlile 6-80, Nick Workinger 1-30, Kyle Woolridge 4-49, Connor Stokes 1-24, Jacob Deppen 4-23.