The nearly two-hour lightning delay was worth the wait – at least for Simon Kenton.
In a game that lasted just over four hours, Simon Kenton provided Friday’s happy Homecoming – a 47-0 running-clock win over Conner at Chlorine Menefee Stadium.
Junior quarterback Grant Webb, receiver Forest Hughes and junior running back Peyton Testerman were the Pioneers’ stars on offense. Webb was 13-for-21 for 196 yards and three touchdowns, Hughes caught five passes for 43 yards with two scores, and Testerman ran for two second-quarter touchdowns.
“They gave us multiple holes around the field,” Webb said.
Simon Kenton coach Joe Wynn wasn’t worried.
“That’s what I told the kids, we control attitude and energy there,” he said. “Run to the ball, and good things happen.”
For the night, Simon Kenton (3-2) gained 381 yards – Webb’s 196 and 185 more on the ground – for an average of 8.6 yards a snap.
The Pioneers’ defense was as stingy as the offense was prolific – Conner (1-4) gained just 126 yards on 56 plays, an average of 2.5 yards a carry, Michael Newborn intercepted an Ethan Estvanko pass, and Shawn Kata recovered a fumble.
Not long after the Homecoming festivities ended at around 8:17 p.m., the first lightning bolt was spotted, which meant a 30-minute delay. Two more sightings followed, and by 9:45 p.m., Simon Kenton principal Craig Reinhart had three choices: declare the Pioneers the winner because the first half could be an official contest, finish the game Friday or resume it at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Wynn wanted to play Friday, while Conner coach Chase Floyd wanted to continue on Saturday “so we could get regrouped and get refocused.”
So, what did the Pioneers and Cougars do to pass the time? Webb and Testerman had a fruity snack and watched first-half video.
“Ate bananas, oranges and just set on my phone, watching film for game plan,” Testerman said.
When play finally resumed at around 10:06 p.m., Simon Kenton’s Sam Hughes fumbled the second-half kickoff. It turned out it hardly mattered – the Pioneers needed just nine plays to cover the 87 yards, a drive that featured Webb’s two carries for 43 yards.
“I don’t think the delay hurt us,” Floyd said. “I think we just came out, and we were flat. We really didn’t respond well to adversity, so I have to do a better job of getting them to play better through adversity.”
Conner’s woes were just beginning.
On Simon Kenton’s next drive, Webb ran for 10 yards, found Testerman and Forest Hughes for a combined 36 yards, including Hughes’ 11 yards and the score.
Three Webb passes sent the game to the running clock – a 12-yarder to Forest Hughes, eight yards to Mo Smith and the final 24 and the score to Brandon Lofties.
Backup quarterback Ethan Hopkins’ 28-yard touchdown run ended the scoring.
PIONEERS 47, COUGARS 0
CONNER — 0-0-0-0 — 0
SIMON KENTON — 0-20-13-14 — 47
Second quarter
SK-Peyton Testerman 1 run (kicked blocked), 8:20
SK-Testerman 2 run (Testerman run), 3:04
SK-Forest Hughes 12 pass from Grant Webb (kick failed), 0:33
Third quarter
SK-Mo Smith 2 run (run failed), 8:19
SK-F. Hughes 11 pass from Webb (Gavin McCulley kick), 4:51
Fourth quarter
SK-Brandon Lofties 24 pass from Webb (McCulley kick), 10:20
SK-Ethan Hopkins 28 run (McCulley kick), 4:31
Records: Conner 1-4, Simon Kenton 3-2.
