Different Cougars, same ol’ HMB

The turnover from that historic team was massive. Heading into the new season, this season’s pride of Cougars amounted to just 19 players on the opening-night sideline Friday night at Jefferson.

At the end of the day, though, it only takes 11 players to score a touchdown.

Half Moon Bay (1-0 overall) opened 2018 with a bang as, on the season’s first play from scrimmage, Duncan split a gap through the left side and bolted 85 yards for a touchdown. Duncan ultimately rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns to pace the Cougars to a 42-3 victory over the Jefferson Grizzlies.

“I just got to the hole, saw the corner still has his block, saw green and just went,” Duncan said.

And Duncan just kept going. A quarterback on the junior-varsity squad last season, Duncan turned three of his first four varsity runs into touchdowns.

On his second turn out of the backfield, with 4:16 left in the first quarter, he bounced off the left side and rambled 37 yards for a score to make it 14-0. After a Jefferson three-and-out, the Cougars took the ball back at the Jeff 42-yard line and went to Duncan three plays later for a 27-yard scoring dash through the middle to make it 21-0 near the end of the opening quarter.

HMB went on to outgain reigning Peninsula Athletic League Lake Division champion Jefferson 409-256 in total offense.

“It was a hard pill to swallow,” Jefferson head coach Will Maddux said, “but what I told the team was I was really happy that they did not quit. … Our first four games are teams that are at least one division higher than us, and I did that on purpose to get these guys ready for the playoffs.”

The Grizzlies’ (0-1) only score came midway through the second quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Josh Fernandez. Otherwise, the Grizzlies scuffled on third downs. Despite totaling 14 first-downs in the game, Jefferson was a mere 2 for 10 on third-down conversions, including 0 for its first 7.

“I thought we moved the ball well,” Maddux said. “We just beat ourselves with mistakes.”

With reigning PAL Bay Division champion HMB graduating three star skill players in quarterback Gavin Tomberlin, wide receiver Hayden Von Almen and beastly running back Chase Hofmann, the revamped offense is being helmed by Chase Hofmann’s younger brother, sophomore quarterback Tristan Hofmann.

One of the staples of HMB’s poetry-in-motion offense of 2017 was Tomberlin’s surefire throwing arm, making consistent clutch decisions in the triple-read option, and always having high completion percentages to show for it.

The younger Hofmann wasn’t quite as on the mark via the air, coming up empty on his first four throws of the year and going 1 for his first 7. He ultimately went 4 for 11 for 67 yards and a touchdown.

The sophomore refused to be denied though, dazzling with a gutsy rushing performance. Reminiscent of his older brother, Hofmann proved the toughest player on the field to tackle, bouncing off hit after hit after hit en route to 85 rushing yards with a touchdown on eight carries.

“Tristan’s Tristan,” Holden said. “We have high expectations of him and he doesn’t ever disappoint. I tell you, he played pretty well tonight. And he’s only going to get better.”

Hofmann showed off two clutch throws to end the first half though. The Cougars looked as though they were packing in their offense for the half when Hoffman whiffed on third- and fourth-down throws from midfield with just under three minutes before the break. But two plays later, freshman safety Quinn McCauley stole the ball back by dashing in front of a Joaquin Alvarez pass attempt for an interception.

HMB took over at its own 40 with two minutes to go. And after a Connor Quosig 12-yard run pushed the ball past midfield, Hofmann completed two straight passes — a 27-yard strike to sophomore Nohea Sharp, then a 23-yard spiral to the sideline that Quosig caught inside the five, then tightrope walked for a score to put HMB up 28-3 at the half.

Hofmann added a 12-yard scoring run, capping a five-play, 95-yard scoring drive with 3:08 left in the third quarter. HMB closed the scoring on its first possession of the fourth quarter on a 2-yard TD dive by senior Blake Schmieder.

“I feel like we did a good job,” Duncan said. “We held our own.”

Jefferson was without two of its starting offensive linemen, prompting the first varsity starts by senior offensive tackle Andres Benitez and senior guard Matthew Salem.

The highlight of the night for Jefferson, though, was the play of senior wide receiver Henry Tom. Alvarez was 17-of-25 passing for 184 yards, with 10 of those completions to Tom for a career-high 137 yards.