White River Junction
Still, he’s learning the job on the fly.
That education has come with bumps and bruises, none more obvious than Hartford’s 21-13 loss to archrival Rutland on Friday night. Jasmin fumbled the ball three times in the loss, twice on snaps in the second quarter and another on a handoff in fourth.
Penalties also piled up on the Canes (2-2), who watched a 13-0 lead vanish by halftime. Chances to tie the game with a touchdown never materialized or were turned back by costly flags.
“Obviously, it’s a new thing for me,” Jasmin said. “I’ve never been in those situations. … There’s not a lot of experience there, for me. I’m looking forward to learning, and obviously I’m learning out there on the field.
“I feel like I’ve gotten to where I just need experience on the field.”
It was the lowest-scoring game between the VPA Division I rivals in the last decade, an annual contest that saw a combined 92 points scored in a 52-40 Hartford victory last September. The game also featured some early fireworks from Hartford’s offense before suffering self-inflicted wounds.
“We shot ourselves in the foot every opportunity we had,” Hartford head coach Matt Trombly said. “Penalties, turning the ball over. It was just sloppy football, all around.”
Rutland’s opening drive ended in a fumble deep in its territory on the third play of the game, a bobbled handoff between Raiders quarterback Ryan Moore and running back Dakota Peters recovered by Hartford. Canes senior running back Nick Porter scored two plays later, driving toward the left pylon from 11 yards out 43 seconds into the game.
Porter had a 45-yard touchdown run in the second quarter called back due to an illegal shift by Hartford’s offense. The Canes did eventually extend their lead with a special teams touchdown that saw a high snap, a blocked Rutland punt by Hartford lineman Dakota Chapman and a loose ball in the end zone gobbled up by Reece Thompson.
Placekicker Kobe Peach missed his first extra point of the season, but the Canes still led, 13-0.
“To be honest, I thought we played really well,” Trombly said. “When we did our thing, we were grinding the ball and pounding it down the field. All of a sudden, bobbled snap, they recover. We did that a couple of times. Then we had penalties that knocked us out of opportunities. It’s just very frustrating.”
Rutland answered on its next drive, marching 63 yards on five plays in 1 minute and 25 seconds. Peters finished it off with a 20-yard run up the middle, cutting Hartford’s lead to 13-7.
Jasmin fumbled on the snap two plays later, recovered by Rutland on Hartford’s 42-yard line. The Raiders turned the ball over on downs. Jasmin fumbled again three plays into his next drive. Rutland took the lead for good five plays later.
“You just have to move past it,” Jasmin said. “Stuff happens like that. You’ve just got to keep working on it. I know we’ll get better. We’ll see that team again, mostly likely.”
Rutland QB Moore’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Hubbard gave the Raiders the lead, 14-13, with 29.9 seconds remaining in the first half. Rutland scored on its opening drive of the third quarter, a 25-yard touchdown keeper by Moore to push the Raiders ahead, 21-13.
Moore finished the game 7-for-15 passing for 90 yards, adding 89 yards on the ground.
Hartford had its chance to tie the game later in the fourth quarter on a 14-play drive that left the Canes with first-and-goal on the Rutland 1-yard line. Zach Burek’s drive up the middle went for no gain. Hartford was then called for a false start, costing them five yards. Jasmin fumbled the ensuing handoff, with Rutland recovering. The Canes never got closer.
Trombly is confident his young QB will get there.
“It’s a lot,” said the Hartford coach. “To play jayvee ball last year to Friday night under the lights is a lot. I truly think he’s going to be a really good one. … He can manage the game well, and I think he’s going to be a really good passer for us.
“He made some really good plays. Just some sophomore decisions that he won’t make as a junior or as a senior. To ask that of a sophomore, I wish we had other options, but we don’t.”
Jasmin finished the game 5-for-10 in the air for 62 yards, all in the second half with the Hurricanes looking for a break. Burek led the team with 103 rushing yards on 16 carries. Hartford takes on BFA-St. Albans next weekend for Homecoming.
Notes: Luna Ricker, a Hartford graduate and longtime trainer, was honored with a brief ceremony and flowers before Friday’s game. Ricker graduated in 1966 and began her work as a trainer in 1979 and retired last year.
“As a trainer, Luna doled out thousands of ice packs, band-aids and crutches,” said Hartford public address announcer Mike Hathorn. “She also handed out an even greater number of, ‘You’re fine, get up and get back in there.’ … Tonight, we say thank you to the woman who has given so much of her life to the school she loves.”
Ricker, a three-sport athlete during her time at Hartford, received flowers from the school’s athletic leadership council and a standing ovation from the crowd.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.