Conner Droemer ran for three touchdowns and a career high 127 yards and intercepted a pass during Friday night’s 42-12 homecoming night win over Hackett.
Droemer took the interception back 99 yards for what would have been the second longest interception return in school history, were it not for a penalty flag.
Though that was the first of the night, there would be plenty of those. In all there were 34 infractions cited.
The Bearcats (3-2, 2-0 Conference 3A-1) were assessed 185 yards in 19 accepted penalties – another for a kickoff out of bounds was a ball placement penalty. Hackett was penalized 66 yards on 11 penalties and the Bearcats declined three others, two of which were on one play.
Before the flags began to fly the Bearcats had opened a 14-0 lead after having run just six offensive plays. The first five came after a failed onside kick with Droemer scoring on an 18-yard run to make it 7-0 just 90 seconds into the game.
After a Hackett punt, which Cutler Haller helped to bring about with the first of his three quarterback sacks, it would be a one play drive with Droemer rumbling 59 yards for a touchdown.
Hackett generated some offense on its next possession which ended with the Droemer interception and a declined holding penalty, though the block in the back flag negated the touchdown.
The resulting possession included both a false start and a holding call that wiped out a first down gain on a pass from Rhett Nietert to Jasper Meeker, then ended with Haller punting the ball away to start the second quarter.
The ensuing possession saw the Hornets net seven offensive yards and six points.
There were 69 yards in penalties after what looked to have been a punt and a change of possession before Hackett scored on a 1-yard pass to make it 14-6.
The Hornets would have a chance to get closer, or get even, after a Bearcat fumble but the Bearcat defense forced a punt.
Eight plays later Hunter Warren scored his first touchdown on an 8-yard run and it was 21-6 with 3:37 left in the fist half.
Nietert picked off a pass and returned it to the Hackett 22 to set up a three play, Brody Chambers-exclusive drive that made it 28-6. Chambers scored the touchdown on a run of 6 yards.
Hackett was flagged for holding and offensive pass interference on a fourth down play from their 33 with 1:13 to go in the half and the Bearcats would reach the Hornet 5 before backing up due to a false start.
Though he was a perfect 6-for-6 on PAT kicks, Oliver Loaeza was unable to hit a 27-yard field goal as time expired keeping the score at 28-6.
At that point the flag count was at 22.
Hackett started the second half but taking advantage of a roughing the passer flag by moving to the Bearcat 14 but there, Parker Smith became the third Bearcat to pick off a Hornet pass.
The Bearcats then went 87 yards in eight plays to go up 35-6. Before Droemer went 49 yards for his third touchdown there was a series of three false starts and only one play run for the Bearcats, a holding call against the Bearcats, and an offside penalty on Hackett.
Less than a minute after Droemer’s third touchdown – Hackett had three incomplete passes and a punt – Warren got his second on a 20-yard run to start the running clock with 3:39 left in the third quarter.
Taking advantage of a pass interference call Hackett would make it 42-12 with under eight minutes to play, but the Hornets would not get the ball again as Sadler Miller and Levi McMaster both moved had first down pickups.
The Bearcats will be at home again this week, taking on Greenland and its BHS graduate head coach Brock May. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
DROEMER'S CAREER NIGHT LEADS BEARCATS TO HOMECOMING WIN
