HAMPDEN — You can’t always believe in first impressions.

When Hampden Academy won the coin toss Friday night and elected to receive the football, the Broncos showed an offensive attack that struck early and often.

For a few moments, Leavitt had no answer for the no huddle.

“We had a game plan,” said Jordan Hersom, Leavitt’s quarterback and defensive back. “We were reading our keys. We had to stay confident. We knew they could move the ball throwing. They have a good quarterback and good receivers. They had a no huddle going. We didn’t expect that, but we stayed aggressive up front and our D-line got good pressure.”

Leavitt adjusted to Hampden’s early execution and bucked the Broncos hopes in a hurry. Between a superb defensive effort and an offensive line that dominated, the Hornets cruised to a  34-6 victory Friday night.

Hampden quarterback Jonathan Haws was sacked eight times and the Broncos rushing game was held to just 10 yards on 27 tries. After the few quick strikes early, Hampden struggled to execute until the second half.

“We have very good athletes on our front five,” said Leavitt coach Mike Hathaway. “They might not be the biggest kids, but they’re tough, fast and strong. Those guys did a pretty good job not just getting pressure on Haws but trying to contain him when things broke down.”

The Broncos moved the ball effectively on their first possession. Hampden totalled 22 yards and went three-for-three on pass plays. Though the drive stalled after a fumbled snap and a sack, the Broncos had shown an ability to click offensively.

Leavitt quickly took care of that, however. Hampden managed just 13 total yards the rest of the half and rushed for just four yards on 16 carries. The Hornet defense sents waves of pressure off the line and had Haws scrambling

Meanwhile, Leavitt utilized its running game to produce some lengthy drives of its own. On its first possession, Leavitt marched it 63 yards for a 7-0 lead with 4:31 left in the opening quarter. The Hornets finished off the drive when Hersom connected with Lucas Witham on a 40-yard pass play on third-and-13.

“We were running the ball and moving it well,” said Hersom, who rushed for 79 yards on 13 carries and threw for 68. “The line did a great job. We knew if we faked a run inside, they might bite. It was a wedge play, and I rolled out. Our split end was wide open on a flag route.”

The defense continued to stuff Hampden, and Leavitt later got the ball back after another three-and-out. The Hornets used just seven plays for the 50-yard drive to make it 14-0 with 8:46 left in the half. Jake Ouellette took the ball from Hersom on the option and scooted in untouched from the 8. Ouellette finished with 100 yards on 20 carries.

Late in the half,  Leavitt’s pass rush forced a hurried and bad throw. Hersom picked it off and rushed untouched 41 yards for the touchdown and 21-0 lead with 2:27 left in the half.

“I was at the right place at the right time,” said Hersom. “The D-line did a great job getting pressure. They made him throw before he wanted to. Everybody did their job so I could do mine.”

Leavitt opened the second half with an eight-play drive that made it 27-0. Hersom was under pressure and got a pass off and connected with Witham for a 24-yard play and score with 8:09 left in the half.

Hampden answered with its best sustained drive since its first possession.  Haws finished it off with an 8-yard pass on fourth-and-five with 3:19 left in the third.

Leavitt added a 26-yard score by Oscar Rodriguez on a sweep to the right with 1:16 left in the third to make it 34-6.

“Hampden likes to mix up a lot of their defenses,” said Hathaway. “They do a lot of stunting. Our guys did a good job picking up on that. We were able to spread the ball around with the backs and do some good things.”

[email protected]