Lowry runs for 4 TDs, line dominant as Hilton thumps Spencerport

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

It was homecoming Saturday at Ranger Stadium, and current students as well as alumni of Spencerport High School filled the stands.

Which didn’t sit all that well with the visiting Hilton Cadets. Homecoming is supposed to be a celebratory gathering, a chance for the home team to do a little strutting.

Hilton was not amused at its assignment as opponent for the traditional game. Actually, the Cadet players felt slighted.

“They chose us for their homecoming,” junior running back Robert Lowry said, “so we had something to prove.”

What they proved was their superiority, especially in the trenches.

Lowry was Mr. Touchdown, scoring on scampers of 47, 78, 3 and 31 yards, while junior quarterback Colton Thorp scored on runs of 52 and 22 yards as the Cadets opened a 28-0 lead and rolled to a 43-12 victory.

In a matchup of 3-1 Section V Class A1 contenders, Hilton was dominant.

Lowry took advantage of blocking by the offensive line, and once he had an opening, he wasn’t going to be caught.

“Robert has slowly become more utilized on offense – and you can see why,” Hilton coach Rich Lipani said. “He has some speed.”

Indeed, when Lowry bolted through the hole and into the secondary, it was end zone or bust.

“He was gone,” Lipani said.

Lowry said that coming into the game, he figured he’d split most of the touches with running back Jeffery Broadnax. Except, there weren’t really that many touches to split.

The Cadets scored on “drives” of one, two, six and one plays in the first half. That’s right, four touchdowns on a combined 10 plays. The first three TDs came on carries by Lowry:

> A 47-yard burst as he cut inside, then ran clear after a devastating pancake block by tackle Karl Khuns about 12 yards downfield for an 8-0 lead with 5:57 left in the first quarter;

> A 78-yard jaunt for a 14-0 lead with 2:18 to play in the quarter;

>A 3-yard run up the middle to cap a 51-yard drive 9:18 into the second quarter.

“They were really physical up front and they’re well-coached,” Spencerport coach John Dowd said. “And Lowry is quick.”

When he took the handoff and hit the hole, it was clear. Then again, with Khuns, the hulking 6-foot-3, 280-pound tackle, playing bulldozer, there was bound to be plenty of room to run. And Khuns also plays on the defensive line, which meant the Rangers had little room to run.

“He’s as good as there is in Section V,” Lipani said.

Said Dowd: “He’s one of the best linemen we’ve seen in a long time.”

Khuns and his fellow linemen were just as powerful on defense. They forced punts the first four times Spencerport had the ball, with three-and-outs on three of those drives.

The Rangers did drive 69 yards for a touchdown on the final drive of the first half, with quarterback Rylan McLeod connecting with Anthony Hackett on a 15-yard scoring play in the waning seconds. McLeod rolled right and then threw back across the field.

But Hilton made sure there would be nothing resembling a comeback by the Rangers. On the third play from scrimmage of the third quarter, Lowry sprinted free for a 31-yard touchdown run.

Thorp threw only three times – all in one third-quarter drive. But don’t be fooled by the lack of passing, Lipani warned.

“Colton Thorp is an excellent quarterback, and if we were more of a throwing team, he would handle it well,” Lipani said. “There will be a time when we need him to throw and he’ll be just fine.”

Note: The Rangers again played without senior all-everything back Cameron Mesh, who suffered a hamstring injury in week 3 against Webster Schroeder. He might return to the lineup next week, Dowd said.