Hamilton kicked off their season on the road on Friday and hit a couple of potholes. They fell just short of the Mountain Empire Redhawks by a score of 8-6. The Bobcats gained 85 more yards on the day, but it was the Redhawks that made the best use of them.
Hamilton's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Joey Rayas, who rushed for 101 yards on only eight carries, and William Hamlett, who rushed for 106 yards on only 13 carries. Rayas also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, picking up a sack, forcing a fumble, and making ten total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Even though they lost, Hamilton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 264 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 181 rushing yards in four consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Hamilton wouldn't let Mountain Empire keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Hamilton can thank Kaidin Johnson and Rayas for forcing both of them. Johnson didn't just play on offense: he also forced a fumble, made five total tackles, and defended three passes.
Hamilton will square off against Temecula Prep at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hamilton is out to stop a five-game streak of losses at home dating back to last season. As for Mountain Empire, they will challenge Southwest SD at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
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