VAN BUREN -- Lake Hamilton scored in a variety of ways Friday night to top off an undefeated September and set up a big stretch.
The Wolves scored two defensive touchdowns to go with passing and rushing scores to overwhelm Van Buren 60-21 at Blakemore Field.
Lake Hamilton (6-0, 4-0 6A-West), ranked No. 7 overall and No. 2 in Class 6A, hosts Greenbrier next week before a trip to Greenwood for a key 6A-West game.
On Friday, Lake Hamilton broke away from a 14-14 tie with a 1-yard touchdown run by Justin Crutchmer for a 21-14 lead. Then with Van Buren (1-4, 1-2) driving, the Wolves intercepted a pass and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown with 3:44 left in the half for a 27-14 lead.
"The first half, we had some mistakes here and there, but we got some things going defensively," Lake Hamilton Coach Tommy Gilleran said. "Overall, every part of the game was good. Hopefully, we can move on from this game."
Lake Hamilton scored on all four second-half possessions -- two in the third quarter and two in the fourth -- and capped the game with a fumble recovery by Izic Clenney in the end zone that started the clock running continuously with the final score.
"I think they got a little tired and we got some pressure on them," Gilleran said. "The first half, we backed off and tried to just cover them. The second half, we put more pressure on the quarterback and made him make decisions quicker."
Crutchmer had 12 carries for 45 yards and scored on runs of 2 and 3 yards that staked the Wolves to an early 14-0 lead. The second touchdown was set up by a fumble recovery by Clenney on Van Buren's first offensive play.
"You can't make mistakes against them," Van Buren Coach Moe Henry said. "They're big, they're strong, and if you're undisciplined, they're going to impose their will on you. They're good."
Crutchmer also scored on a 1-yard run with 8:02 left in the second quarter that put Lake Hamilton up for good at 21-14.
In the third quarter, Crutchmer added an 8-yard scoring run and scored Lake Hamilton's final offensive touchdown when he turned a short pass from quarterback Easton Hurley into a 25-yard touchdown with 4:09 left to push the margin to 53-21.
Hurley also added a 7-yard scoring run, capping a 12-play, 78-yard drive with 1:01 left in the third quarter. Lake Hamilton overcame two holding penalties on the drive and never faced a third down with Kendrick Martin rushing for 45 of his game-high 89 yards during the series.
"This was a good game for us," Gilleran said. "Our kids played really hard, and we did some good things. We did a good job."
Martin also scored on a 10-yard run with 9:24 left in the game to extend Lake Hamilton's lead to 47-14 with 9:24 left.
The Wolves finished with 410 yards with Hurley completing 5 of 8 passes for 173 yards. Crutchmer had four catches for 138 yards.
"Easton's a great quarterback," Gilleran said. "He broke the school record with six passing touchdowns last week. He can do those things. He gives us a lot of options on offense."
After losing the fumble early, Van Buren scored on consecutive possessions to tie the game.
Bryce Perkins drilled a 4-yard scoring pass to Malachi Henry for Henry's 25th career touchdown reception to set the school record with five seconds left in the first quarter.
Grant King recovered a fumbled pooch kick for the Pointers, and Perkins hit Henry across the middle for 24 yards followed by a 5-yard touchdown run by Jacob Gavelis just 45 seconds into the second quarter to forge a 14-14 tie.
Perkins, who finished with 153 yards passing, also had a 29-yard scoring pass to Peyton Pschier with 7:15 left in the game.