Hopewell running back Rushel Shell twice left the game last night against New Castle with leg cramps.

But by the end of the game, he had the Red Hurricanes feeling sick.

Shell scored three touchdowns and ran for 143 yards to lead No. 2 Hopewell to a 35-27 victory against the No. 4 Red Hurricanes.

"Big players make big plays in big games," Hopewell coach Dave Vestal said.

Shell made big play after big play in the win. His three scores came from outside the 35.

The sophomore opened the game with an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that set the tone for the Vikings.

Shell took the opening kick and immediately ran into some traffic. He bounced out to the right side of the field, where he eyed the only New Castle player that could keep him from scoring.

"I saw I was one-on-one with a guy, and I knew I could beat him," Shell said.

Shell and Vestal said the opening score helped calm jitters.

"We had the feeling that we could beat this team," Shell said.

But that feeling quickly dissipated.

New Castle ran all over Hopewell in the first half.

New Castle quarterback Johnny Matarazzo completed 12 of 15 passes for 197 and ran for two touchdowns -- before halftime. The New Castle ground game gained 110 yards in the first half to put the pressure on the Vikings, who struggled to move the ball early.

The Vikings offense often looked inept, unable to stretch drives beyond three plays.

New Castle ended the half with 15 first downs and 307 yards of offense. Hopewell entered halftime having converted just five first downs on 168 yards of offense.

But the Vikings' big play capability -- and two New Castle turnovers -- kept Hopewell competitive when they could have easily disappeared.

"Our kids found a way," Vestal said.

In addition to Shell's opening kickoff, the Vikings added two more touchdowns from beyond midfield to tie the score, 21-21, heading into halftime.

New Castle missed tackles and made errors the team is not used to making, said coach Frank Bongivengo.

"For the first three games, we didn't do that," he said. "We had some opportunities in the first half to put the game away. We fumbled the ball twice. We didn't make a play when we had to there. For us, that hurts."

After dominating Hopewell before halftime everywhere but the scoreboard, the Red Hurricanes started the second half disoriented.

The Red Hurricanes' first two drives ended in punts, and Matarazzo was 0 for 3 to start the second half.

"When we came out in the second half, for one reason or another, we lost our focus," Bongivengo said. "We didn't come out with a lot of passion, but they did."

After playing an entire half without being penalized, New Castle was flagged four times in the second half for 45 yards.

With New Castle sleeping, Hopewell took advantage.

Vikings quarterback Matt Hundenski, who finished 4 of 7 for 103 yards, scored a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

The Red Hurricanes marched back, trying to answer Hopewell like the Vikings had responded to New Castle's first-half scores.

That's when New Castle made its biggest mistake of the game. An 18-play drive that started at its own 31 ended when Matarazzo's pass over the middle was picked off by Malcolm Lay.

"It hurt," Bongivengo said, "but it wasn't the end of the game."

It was after Shell punched in his third score of the game -- from 37 yards.

New Castle scored another touchdown late in the fourth but never got the ball back after Hopewell found first down after first down with the clock running out.

The win puts Hopewell in charge of the Parkway conference, and Shell said he thinks it could be an even bigger boost for his team.

"They're one of the best teams in AAA," he said.

"And beating them makes us feel like we could beat anyone right now."

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