The Oceana Echo's Amanda Dodge contributed to this story.
Hesperia's pass-heavy attack struggled with the wet conditions Friday night against Muskegon Catholic, and the Panthers were shut out in the second half of a 27-7 defeat to the Crusaders on homecoming night.
Tucker Bolles entered the game having put up nearly 600 yards passing for the season through three weeks, but with heavy rain making it hard to throw or catch a ball, he managed only 97 Friday on 12-of-18 passing, including the tea's only touchdown, to Malakai Sellers. Sellers had 50 yards receiving to lead the team.
"That hurts us more than them. There's no doubt about that," Hesperia coach Tyler Fehler said. "Tucker, my quarterback, has the most pass attempts in West Michigan, I think...That's how it plays out. It's rained a couple games this season, and you've got to play tough."
The Panthers' young offensive line - there's not one senior playing up front at the moment - struggled to create running lanes, and a pivotal chop block penalty in the third quarter helped stifle a drive.
Catholic was able to hold the ball for much of the game and keep the Hesperia defense on the field. Evan Conkle led the Panthers (1-3) with 12 tackles and Dominic Rivera added 10.
Hesperia's Tanner Tinkham (8) looks for running room while Evan Conkle (7) and Dominic Rivera lay blocks for him during Friday's game against Muskegon Catholic. The Panthers fell, 27-7.
"We know they run the ball," Fehler said. "Any team that we've been having a hard time with this season runs the ball 99.9% of the time. We're just young. I've got a lot of sophomores and a freshman. A lot, for these guys, is growing pains, and we've got to get through it. The four seniors on the team that play are all skill guys. The beef up front, it is what it is, so there's no excuses for it."
Tanner Tinkham caught seven passes for 37 yards for Hesperia. Bolles ran for 44 yards.
Though sophomore Quinten Taylor did not ring up big stats - he ran for 21 yards - Fehler praised his effort level on defense, where he plays as an edge rusher.
"He weighs about 138 pounds, and he's a young sophomore," Fehler said. "To play on the edge and to battle, and I know this team's young, but starting at running back, running the ball hard, the future is really bright."
As the game slipped away late in the evening, the Panthers struggled with unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, at one point putting themselves into a first-and-40 situation. Fehler said the team has growing up to do but understood where the frustration came from, given the team's struggles.
"It's my fifth year here, and we haven't won a whole lot," Fehler said. "Some of these guys, when you put everything into it and it's not enough in the end, it's tough...We need to learn how to win and finish games. Even before I got here and since I got here, this group of kids, they haven't won a whole lot in a lot of team sports, so it's learning how to do that."
