By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

CANISTOTA -- Brock Tuttle lowered his shoulder, plowed into the end zone and capped off a physical Cornbelt Conference football game on Friday.

“This was a typical, old-fashioned Cornbelt football game,” Hanson coach Jim Haskamp said after Hanson’s 32-24 win over Canistota/Freeman. “It’s tough, physical, hard-nosed. Nobody gives up and quits. … That’s good, old-fashioned Cornbelt football right there.”

Tuttle’s one-yard touchdown plunge with nine seconds left propelled Class 9AA No. 1 Hanson (7-0) to a six-point lead. Jackson Jarding’s two-point conversion made it 32-24 and capped off a seesaw battle, which saw both teams rattle off 24 straight points on each other. 

“It was a hard-nosed game,” Canistota/Freeman (4-4) coach James Strang said. “We made too many mistakes to win that football game and credit coach Haskamp’s boys. They are squared away and they are ready to go. There’s a reason they are undefeated and we have the losses we have.” 

4Q (:9.3) Brock Tuttle plows one in for the Beavers. Hanson 32, Canistota/Freeman 24. #sdpreps pic.twitter.com/t1xgRdwgw1

â€" Ryan Deal (@RyanDeal_605) October 9, 2021

On the final drive, the Beavers used a heavy dose of Tuttle, Jarding, Kade Waldera and Hadley Wallace. The quartet accounted for all 85 yards of Hanson’s final drive, which featured all running plays and covered eight minutes  

“We responded with what we talked about all year long: we have to be physical up front,” Haskamp said. “The game is won up front in the trenches. It’s going to be up to our offensive line. They really responded on that last drive.”

Hanson moved the ball down to Canistota/Freeman’s 11-yard line with under one minute left. After burning two timeouts, Tuttle plowed into the end zone for the go-ahead score. 

It was Tuttle’s third touchdown of the game and the fullback praised the line play for making it happen. 

“We could not have done that without our guys upfront,” said Tuttle, who had 69 rushing yards on 16 carries. “We have to thank them the most.”

Tuttle’s touchdown was Hanson’s first since the second quarter. Hanson jumped out to a 24-0 lead, capitalizing on three Canistota/Freeman turnovers. The Pride fumbled the opening kickoff and Tuttle scored two plays later. Canistota/Freeman fumbled on its next possession and Tuttle scored again to make it 16-0.  

“We can’t make mistakes like that against good teams and that’s what happens,” Strang said. “I thought defensively we got squared away for a little while.”

The game remained the same until Waldera intercepted a Tage Ortman pass and returned it for a touchdown, giving Hanson a 24-0 lead with one minute before halftime. 

Canistota/Freeman answered with a Tage Ortman to Will Ortman 13-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds before halftime. 

After recovering the onside kick to start the second half, Tage Ortman scampered for a 13-yard touchdown run to get within a score. Isiah Robertson’s eight-yard touchdown run in the third quarter evened it up at 24-24.  

“They responded well and defensively they did a whale of a job,” Haskamp said. “They shut us down with what we were doing.”

After trading possessions, Hanson took over with just over eight minutes left for the decisive drive and its first win over Canistota/Freeman since 2009. 

“It was a fun game to look forward to,” Tuttle said. “They are a good football team. It’s just fun to compete against another good football team.”

Ortman finished with 136 passing yards on 11 of 21 attempts. Robertson added 61 rushing yards on 15 carries. Will Ortman hauled in five receptions for 74 yards. Riley Heiberger had a team-high 8.5 tackles. 

Waldera finished with 26 passing yards. Wallace had 54 rushing yards and Jarding added 32 yards on the ground. Tuttle had a team-high 8.5 tackles. 

Hanson hosts Class 9A No. 2 Howard on Oct. 15. Canistota/Freeman will be off until the playoffs.