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The Class 9B championship game featured the Hamlin Chargers, who gave Avon a run in the title

game last year, and bringing back much of the same cast this year, playing against Faulkton a

team has been close, but never made the trip to Vermillion to play for a championship. Both

teams brought their loudest fans to this one, with Hamlin winning the toss and deferring.

This gave Faulkton the ball to open the proceedings.

The Trojans took the ball and nipped and chewed their way down the field on the vaunted

Hamlin defense, and completed the 16 play, 6 minute and 46 second drive with a 7 yard

touchdown run by running back Jack Aesoph. The conversion put Faulkton up 8-0 with 5:14 left

in the first quarter.

Hamlin responded in kind, going 67 yards in 10 plays to put their first points on the

scoreboard. The drive was capped by a 5 yard run from quarterback Brody Grantham. He also

converted the touchdown, tying the game at 8 with 1:12 left in the quarter. The first quarter

ended with a Darin Wiesseler fumble, which Hamlin recovered, and Hamlin facing 2nd and 11

from the Faulkton 29.

The Chargers drove the ball to the Faulkton 8, but Faulkton's defense stood its ground,

stopping Brody Grantham a yard short of a first down on 4th and 6, giving Faulkton the ball

at their own 3 yard line. Faulkton punted on that possession, and Hamlin marched down the

field in 8 plays, and scored on a 4th and 7 pass from Brody to Ryder Grantham for the 18 yard

touchdown pass. Again the conversion succeeded, and Hamlin took a 16-8 lead into halftime.

Hamlin got the ball to start the second half, and used 15 plays and 9:26 of game clock to

score on a Brody Grantham 2 yard touchdown run. The conversion failed, and Hamlin now led 22

-8 with 2:34 left in the third quarter. Faulkton ripped off a pair of good runs and had a

promising drive, but a Kurt Biedler pass was intercepted by Austin Niemann and returned to

the Hamlin 34 yard line. Two plays later, Brody Grantham broke the game open with a 68 yard

touchdown run. The conversion failed, and Hamlin led 28-8 at the end of the third quarter.

Faulkton drove the ball to thier own 49, but Beidler underthrew another receiver, and was

again intercepted by Niemann, who this time took the ball 55 yards for a Charger touchdown.

The conversion failed and Hamlin stretched their lead to 34-8 with 8:54 to play.

Faulkton again drove into Hamlin territory, but got a tough spot from the officials and fell

just short of the marker on 4th down. The Trojans got a fumble recovery shortly thereafter,

but they ended up turning the ball over on downs. Hamlin held on from there to win their 5th

football championship, and first at the nine-man level. Brody Grantham was named the Joe

Robbie Most Outstanding Player, with 173 rushing yards, 41 passing yards and 4 touchdowns (3

rush, 1 pass).


SCORE BY QUARTERS     1     2     3     4-FINAL
FAULKTON                            8     0     0     0- 8
HAMLIN                                  8     8   12    6-34

GAME STATS
RUSHING: FAULKTON: Wiesseler 21-72-0TD; Baloun 3-28-0TD; Ortmeier 6-25-0TD; Aesoph 4-14-1TD;

Beidler 5-0-0TD.  HAMLIN: B. Grantham 25-173-3TD; A. Niemann 6-52-0TD; C. Niemann 3-17-0TD;

Drake 1-9-0TD; R. Grantham 5-5-0TD.

PASSING: FAULKTON: Beidler 9-16-82-0TD-2INT. HAMLIN: B. Grantham 4-6-41-1TD-0INT.

RECEIVING: FAULKTON: Meilus 3-37-0TD; Baloun 4-30-0TD; McCloud 1-11-0TD; Brand 1-4-0TD.

HAMLIN: R. Grantham 3-38-1TD; A. Niemann 1-3-0TD.