Hartford Indian Football 2011

After Weather Delay, Varsity Indians Roll to 62-0 Lawrence Win, Playoff Birth

By Web Staff
October 14, 2011

Hartford	42	6	7	7	62
Lawrence	0	0	0	0	0

STAT LEADERS:

Rushing: MacMillan, Hartford, 152 Yards

Passing: Murney, Lawrence, 68 Yards

Tackles: Meachum, Hartford, 10 Tackles

   Last Friday, the Indians hosted Homecoming, a celebration full of pep, parades, crowning and some tunes. Oh yeah and a football game, too.
   All five things went off without a hitch. Well, close.
   Hartford dodged lightning, thunder and rain, but opened up a 42-0 lead after one quarter and never looked back, gaining a playoff birth with a proficient 62-0 victory over rival Lawrence last Friday at Indian Stadium.
   The Indians basically put the game on ice in the first quarter, where they outscored Lawrence 42-0. This wasn't really a twelve minute quarter, because of a long weather delay for lightning in the area.
   Before the delay, however, Hartford scored fourteen points.
   The first score of the game was on a punt return by Gareth MacMillan. After forcing Lawrence into an early three-and-out, MacMillan took the punt return back 66 yards to the house to kick off the scoring. Juan Perez added the extra point and the Indians led 7-0.
   The second score of the quarter came from sophomore Casper Aviles, who took a handoff one yard for the next Indian score. Juan Perez added his second extra point of the game to make it 14-0 Hartford.
   Then, came the lightning and the thunder. The teams were summoned off the field by the referees for a weather delay that lasted over an hour. It had an impact on Homecoming, as halftime was scrapped and so were the Princess and Queen crowning.
   After the weather delay, the Indians scored 28 more points.
   The first touchdown out of the delay came from David Mireles, who rushed six yards for the next Indian score. Juan Perez split the uprights for his third extra point of the night and the Indians led 21-0.
   The Indians struck one again a short time later, when David Mireles scored his second straight rushing score of the game. This one was a shade bit longer, a seven yard run for the score. Juan Perez added another extra point and the Indians led 28-0 and were cruising.
   The "cruising" continued for David Mireles, who score his third straight touchdown a short time later from longer distance. This time, he added a fifteen yard TD run to his previous runs of six and seven for scores. Juan Perez made his fifth extra point of the quarter to make it 35-0 Hartford late in the first.
   The Indians scored one more time in the first quarter, as Gareth MacMillan scored his second touchdown of the night, adding to his punt return score. He added a 42 yard touchdown run in the quarters final seconds. Juan Perez booted his sixth extra point of the night to make it 42-0 after one quarter.
   The scoring slowed for the rest of the game for the Indians, as second and third string players got plenty of playing time the rest of the contest. In the second, the Indians outscored the Tigers 6-0.
   The only touchdown of the second stanza came from Gareth MacMillan, who added his second touchdown run of the game, a 38 yard run. For the first time all night it seemed, the Indians made a mistake. They missed an extra-point for the first time all night and the Indians led 48-0 at half.
   Or what was half. There was none and the Indians and Tigers played through the normal fifteen minute break due to the weather.
   The Indians outscored Lawrence seven to zero in the final two quarters. The game finished rather quickly, as the clock was running for the entire second half.
   In the third quarter, the Indians scored with the feet of Gareth MacMillan once again. He scored his third touchdown run and fourth touchdown of the game by scoring from sixteen yards out, adding that to his previous TD runs of 42 and 38. Juan Perez made the extra point and the score was 55-0 Gang Green after three.
   The fourth quarters only score came from Casper Aviles, his second touchdown run of the game, this time from 25 yards to pay dirt. Juan Perez made the extra point to bring the final score to 62-0 Indians.
   The Indians totaled nearly 300 yards of total offense, led by the rushing game. Gareth MacMillan led all rushers with 152 yards on just five carries with three rushing touchdowns. David Mireles added 66 yards on eight carries, with Casper Aviles adding 65 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns. Luke Traver added one pass completion on one attempt for twelve yards.
   On defense, the Indians were led by senior Jared Meachum, who was the only Indian tackler in double-digits on the night with ten tackles.
   The Tigers were led by Connor Murney, who was 9 of 22 passing for 68 yards and interception. The Tigers rush attack was led by Salvadore Rocha, who rushed for 42 yards on eleven carries.
   The Indians, now 6-2 on the season, finish the regular season this Friday, October 21st against Watervliet on the road. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM. The Panthers come in 7-1, defeating Lawton 33-0 last week.
   The Tigers, now 0-8 on the season, finish the regular season this Friday, October 21st against Marcellus at home. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM. The Wildcats come in 2-6, losing 44-8 to Decatur last week.