Cloyd, Willingham, Housh Pace Football Past Briar Cliff
Hastings- The Hastings College football team extended its winning streak against Briar Cliff to nine games with a 45-14 thrashing of the Chargers on Saturday.
In the first drive of the game, the Chargers (0-7,0-4 GPAC) went three-and-out and were forced to punt. With the Broncos (5-1, 2-1) back to receive, BCU punter Jacob Diaz kicked the ball to the 15-yard line, but the Broncos fumbled the ball to give the Chargers the ball back at the 13-yard line. Briar Cliff scored on the following play to take a 7-0 lead over the Broncos.
On the following kickoff, Hastings' Darren Scott (JR/Waterloo, IA) returned the ball 14 yards to the 26 yard line where HC went to work. A 32-yard run by Tahj Willingham (JR/Greenwood Village, CO) and a 15-yard pass from Anthony Cloyd (SR/Omaha, NE) to Rashaad Shamburger (JR/Woodland Hills, CA) eventually set up a 36-yard field goal for Alex Stogdill (JR/Lincoln, NE).
Cloyd struck again when he rushed for 70 yards and set up a 6-yard rushing touchdown for himself to put the Broncos ahead 10-7 with 7:16 left in the first quarter.
With the ball on the BCU 38, Hastings drove the ball again with a pass to Willingham for 14 yards before Willingham took the hand off to the house for 24 yards to make the score 17-7 in favor of the Broncos.
Briar Cliff answered in the second quarter when Noah Ylagan ran the ball in from 21 yards out to cut the Charger deficit to 3. Hastings followed suit with Cloyd completing a pass to Shamburger for 28 yards and a then a 35-yard touchdown pass to Noah Housh (SR/Lincoln, NE).
Though Hastings could not capitalize on the second half kickoff, Stogdill and the Broncos were able to down the punt at the BCU 1, which the Chargers could not get out of. Hastings got the ball back on the BCU 38 and got a touchdown off a Willingham 7-yard rush.
Hastings got the ball back with 7:15 left in the third quarter and on the second play of the drive, Cloyd connected with Housh again for a 44-yard touchdown pass to put the Broncos ahead 38-14.
The Broncos scored one last time in their final drive of the third quarter when Willingham took the hand off 67 yards for his third touchdown of the game.
Cloyd led the Broncos with 323 total yards, 167 being rushing yards, and a touchdown, while Willingham tallied 192 total yards and three touchdowns. Housh led the passing game with 92 receiving yards and two scores.
As a team, the Broncos outgained the Chargers 543 yards to 335.
Up next for the Broncos is a road trip next Saturday to Sioux Center, Iowa to take on the Dordt Defenders with a kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
