by Bill Turner
The monkey is finally off the backs of the Hidden Valley football team. After suffering through a twelve game losing streak that began in 2009 and extended with injuries and a young squad last year, the Titans put it all in the rearview mirror with a workmanlike 20-6 win over William Byrd last Friday night at Dwight Bogle Stadium.
Led by running back Walker Brand’s 165 yards on the ground, Hidden Valley took a 14-0 halftime lead and the Titan defense kept the Terriers at bay the rest of the way. Sophomore running back Billy Howe’s touchdown midway through the fourth quarter put Hidden Valley up 20-0 and gave the Titan faithful a long-overdue reason to celebrate as the clock clicked down. Byrd’s only score of the game came on a Jake Barton 4-yard run with 8 seconds remaining.
Quarterback Michael Simonic opened the Hidden Valley scoring with a one yard run in the first quarter and later hooked up with Mason Dermott on a four-yard toss.
Simeon Horstmann led the Byrd rushing attack with 76 yards, but the Terriers were their own worst enemy, turning the ball over four times.
