There was a time when West Lyon and Hinton would spend their annual matchup slamming into each other with nearly identical power running attacks and Hinton coach Bruce Held says it always led to a friendly wager between himself and West Lyon coach Jay Rozeboom. “We always have a deal when we meet at midfield before the game. Jay always says to me ‘the first one to throw it is a weenie’,” Held says.

That all changed when Held and the Blackhawks switched to a more balanced offense that seeks to spread the field. In a 5-0 start, eighth ranked Hinton has 752 yards of rushing and 764 yards of passing. He says they had to do something different to compete with West Lyon as they were not matching up well and now they can give them a good run.

West Lyon has attempted only 23 passes in five games but has amassed nearly 1,600 yards of rushing in a 4-1 start. Held says the ninth ranked Wildcats will provide a tough challenge for his team. “I don’t know if we are a 5-0 team to be honest with you, we’ve had some close games we were able to win and our schedule kind of set up nice for us. We’ve got to see if we are for real, and it is time for that,” Held says.

Held says the weather conditions may be a factor in how the game is played as the wind and cold will hamper his team and they will have to adjust, “their 3 passes a game will not be affected.” He says they will adjust the best they can.

Both teams are unbeaten in class 1A district two.