Hanover Central sophomore Caiden Verrett noticed something when Calumet punted Friday night.
“I saw that their punter every time would go to the right and then kick it,” he said. “So I tried to bait right, go left and just jumped.”
Verrett proceeded to block two punts as the Wildcats dominated the Warriors 42-0 in a matchup between Greater South Shore Conference South Division teams that entered the regular-season finale undefeated.
“It just worked,” he said.
Hanover Central (9-0, 4-0), ranked No. 6 in Class 3A in both the state coaches poll and the poll by The Associated Press, bid an emphatic goodbye to the GSSC before heading to the Northwest Crossroads Conference next season. With the win against Calumet (8-1, 3-1), which was among the other teams receiving votes in the 3A AP poll, the Wildcats won their third straight conference title, including back-to-back outright.
“It is what I expected to see,” Hanover Central coach Brian Parker said. “I thought we were three to four touchdowns better than these guys. The film doesn’t lie. I felt we were better everywhere. We were better up front. Our skill guys were better. Our coaching staff is better.
“These guys have been kind of calling us out in regards to some of the social media stuff. We were silent all week. Our boys have been itching to play this game. Everybody’s been kind of wondering what are we going to do when we have to play four quarters? We’ll be fine when we have to play four quarters.”
Verrett, who also had a 42-yard touchdown catch on a pass from junior quarterback Matt Koontz to open the scoring, blocked a punt against Boone Grove on Sept. 23. Verrett credited AJ Grezenko, Hanover Central’s defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach, for his efforts.
“Coach G always talks about savagery, being aggressive,” Verrett said. “Being in the strength class during school, first period, he’s always electric, always making me want to do better and push myself more. He has the most electric group — defense — in all of the Region.”
The Wildcats limited Calumet to 5 yards rushing and 24 yards passing, with standout junior wide receiver TJ Caldwell making one catch for 9 yards. Hanover Central junior defensive lineman Collin Foy had two sacks, and senior defensive back Gannan Howes had an interception.
“Our starting defense pitched a shutout this year in nine games,” Parker said. “That’s something to behold. That’s hard to do.
“Our coaching staff on the defensive side does a phenomenal job with these guys. We’re big up front, we’re fast on the back end and we fly to the football. I’m proud of these guys.”
Senior running back Kyle Haessly ran for 155 yards and four TDs on 23 carries for the Wildcats. He had a 2-yard score on the first play after freshman Dylan Bowen’s 82-yard kickoff return, another 2-yarder after Verrett’s first blocked punt gave Hanover Central the ball at the 19, and a 1-yarder on the first play after Verrett’s second blocked punt.
Haessly added an 8-yard TD with about two minutes left. Howes also had a 43-yard TD catch.
“Everyone’s been doubting us, saying we’re not that good, haven’t really played anybody good. … It was pretty personal,” Verrett said.
Calumet and Hanover Central are on opposite sides of the same sectional. The Warriors open against Boone Grove, and the Wildcats travel to Rensselaer.
“We have bigger aspirations,” Parker said. “We have big goals. We have a lot of things down the road, we hope.
“What’s happened here, enrollment-wise, we’ve outgrown the conference. … The GSSC has been good to us. Great coaches, great athletic directors, great people across the board. I’m honored and privileged for us to be a part of this conference, and we’re excited to go to the new one next year.”
