White River Junction
First and foremost were the penalties. Hartford, the defending D-I champion, racked up 125 penalty yards on 13 calls, including an illegal motion penalty that called back a 54-yard touchdown run by Hurricanes running back Nick Porter in the third quarter.
Then there were injuries. Senior captain lineman Austin Shepard went down with a right knee injury in the second quarter, a blow to an already inexperienced Hartford line still rebuilding from last year’s graduations.
Lastly, Friday’s game was something of a coming-out party for St. Johnsbury junior quarterback Jacob Cady. Cady completed 15 passes for 103 yards with an interception. He also ran for 110 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of 2-point conversions to give the Hilltoppers their first win over the Hurricanes since 2014.
“I knew we’d have a few of those, just because of how young and inexperienced we were. I knew it wasn’t going to be one of those perfect games,” Hartford coach Matt Trombly said of his team’s penalties. “This brings me back to two years ago. We had this problem. … We’ve just got to be more disciplined, and our younger guys have just got to figure it out right now.”
Hartford, which went undefeated in Vermont last season, beat St. Johnsbury twice in 2016 on its way to its 12th state title in program history. Its skill positions are virtually the same: Kody Rhodes, Hunter Perkins and Porter command the run game. But an inexperienced line and a new quarterback, Tyler Hamilton, under center have created some growing pains.
“We’re all trying to figure it out, people playing new positions,” Hamilton said. “Tonight, what killed us was the penalties. I don’t think we played that terribly. We just had a lot of penalties.”
Such was the case in Friday’s opener, particularly on a defensive line that gave Cady more than enough time to do damage.
“(Shepard) is a senior, he’s a captain and he’s on the offensive line. He can help the younger guys,” Trombly said. “We’re really starting to dig deep when, not having enough depth as is, we’re really going to kids that are coming up as sophomores. It’s just a whole new thing for them. To play a team like St. Johnsbury with inexperienced kids, it’s a tough road.”
The Hurricanes scored on their first drive of the game, marching 63 yards in 6 minutes and 6 seconds to break the scoreless tie. Rhodes finished the drive by piling one yard up the middle, Hartford up 7-0.
But Cady illustrated his skill with 1:15 remaining in the half by manufacturing a seven-play, 73-yard drive in 59.5 seconds to give the Hilltoppers the lead at halftime.
“I think the turning point was that last drive (in the first half),” Hamilton said. “They kept running that dumping route to the flat; they were open for 10 or 15 yards. We couldn’t really stop it.”
In the second-quarter drive, Cady threw for 47 yards on his first three plays and ran a quarterback keeper up the middle for his first of two rushing touchdowns of the night. He then converted on the 2-point conversion to put St. Johnsbury ahead. It didn’t relinquish the lead again.
“(Cady) is a natural quarterback,” said St. Johnsbury senior running back Mathew Roy. “He’s got everything figured out. You talk about a captain. He’s a captain.”
Hartford converted only one first down on three offensive drives in the third quarter. St. Johnsbury scored two more touchdowns in the third, a 40-yard run by Roy and another quarterback keeper by Cady that put St. Johnsbury up 22-7 headed to the fourth.
Porter scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for Hartford, one on the ground and one through the air, to put the Hurricanes within reach. But Hartford ran out of time, scoring its final touchdown in the final minute.
“That just sent a message out to the rest of the state,” Roy said of the victory. “That was what we needed to put us back on top.”
Trombly said Shepard would have his knee evaluated and the team would know more on Monday. The message now is that the season isn’t determined by one game.
“I think we know where we stand right now,” Hamilton said. “We have to come out next week, we’ve got to be aggresssive at practice, watch film, we’ve got to pick it up. … I think our line will come together, and I think our running backs make up for a lot of that. Having experienced guys back there that can run.”
Hartford (0-1) hosts Middlebury on Friday.
Notes: Hurricanes starting lineman Nick Cameron, a junior, was ejected from Friday’s game in the third quarter after a confrontation near the Hartford sideline. Hartford athletic director Jeff Moreno said the play would be reviewed by the VPA and any suspension, if at all, would be determined in the next few days.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.