**ARTICLE BY LIEN VELDBOOM**
Hamilton stepped foot on their home field with a big task at hand. They had to slow down the Falcons of West Catholic, who entered the week 5-0. Last week, the Falcons dominated in the air last week, with four touchdowns. In the other weeks, they relied heavily on the running game from Tim Kloska. The Hawkeyes had to put a stop to both the air and ground game. However, they could not slow down either, as they fell 51-19.
The Falcons ran only 21 offensive plays and were still able to put 51 points on the board. They were led by Tim Kloska, who returned to his usual scoring self with 5 touchdowns. He ran for a total of 136 yards. He was able to run for three scores, and he caught two from Bernie Varnesdeel. His longest running touchdown was 21-yards, while his longest receiving was off a screen for 69-yards. Varnesdeel added another one through the air in the fourth quarter when he found Ryar Snow for 49-yards. The Falcon’s offense was assisted by their special teams and defense who added points of their own. The defense recovered a fumble and returned it for 6 points of their own. The special teams added 2-points off a safety two minutes into the game.
Even though Hamilton’s defense struggled to stop the Falcons, their offense was able to construct a few scoring plays of their own. They opened their scoring in the first quarter on a 2-yard run from Ben Boehm with a successful PAT. Joe Johnson added six more points with two more successful field goals from 27 and 33-yards out. In the closing minutes of the game, Austin Osborne was able to break the plane for a score.
Next week, the Hawkeyes will travel to Spring Lake, who currently sits 0-4 in the OK Blue. Both teams will be looking for their first win within the conference. The Falcons will also be on the road to face the Trojans of Fruitport.
