by Dakota Antelman
One week after beating Clinton with the run game, Hudson went to its running backs again and again during Friday’s game vs Assabet. Their relentlessness paid off, and the Hawks earned a dominant 28-7 win on the road.
Much like they did in the second half of their game against Clinton, Hudson continually handed the ball to senior Jesse Nemerowicz. Behind him, quarterbacks Armel Conyers and Stephen Miranda regularly kept the ball on sweeping runs along either sideline. However, unlike the Clinton game, the rushing arsenal was not limited to just Nemerowicz and Conyers.
“We had a bunch of different guys carrying the ball,” explained Coach Dan MacAnespie. “Rocco [Malloy] carried the ball. Jesse [Nemerowicz] obviously carried the ball. Armel [Conyers] played well in the second half and then Stephen Miranda. Stephen Miranda did a great job for us in the first half. It was great to get some more guys in the game that may not have done that last week.”
Though they were stopped on their first drive of the game, the pounding offensive style paid off once Hudson got the ball back. As part of the 25 yards he amassed in the first quarter, Nemerowicz helped march the Hawks up the field, before Jacx Cannistraro took a handoff outside the 10 yard line and ran it in for Hudson’s first touchdown of the night.
The variation in the rushing attack did however take snaps away from Nemerowicz. He ended the day with 60 yards rushing as opposed to the 169 he ran for last week
“I feel like I didn’t do as much as I could have done,” Nemerowicz admitted. “But I’m all right. I think our team played really well, rallying around each other. Lots of teamwork in our plays. We went out there and made a statement.”
Coach MacAnespie still praised Nemerowicz.
“He’s consistent,” he said. “He carries the ball for five or six yards at a time. Then he breaks for seven or eight. Then he gets one where he springs for 15 or 16 yards. We’re really able to rely on him because we can always ensure that he’s able to hold onto the ball and get a few yards. He’s a pounder.”
After breaking open the Assabet offensive line in the first quarter, things closed up for Hudson as they opened the second quarter. The score remained tied until a botched snap on a punt attempt allowed Hudson to take possession of the ball at the Assabet five-yard line with just over a minute left in the first half. It took only one play for the offense to capitalize. Senior Rocco Malloy took the ball from Conyers and skirted several Assabet tacklers before rolling into the endzone for the touchdown.
The tackle on the botched snap (and the touchdown that followed) ignited the Hudson bench as well as the crowd of over 100 HHS students gathered behind the Assabet endzone. Hudson stormed the field and ended the first half with a vastly different feeling than they did the week before.
“It was much better that we’re on the front side of that instead of trying to climb out of that deficit like we were last week,” MacAnespie said. “We were trying to do some of the same things we did last week in Clinton, trying to get special teams to go our way; it worked out for us.”
While the Red Sea cheered, Hudson came out fighting as hard as ever in the second half. They doubled their lead thanks in part to a massive 65-yard touchdown run by Conyers, and stymied what little run game Assabet tried to counter the Hawks with. Malloy added to what turned out to be a great day for him when he hauled in a short pass for an easy 15-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
The defense hit hard and maintained a shutout well into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, they got into penalty trouble inside their own 20-yard line and surrendered their lone touchdown of the day with just over five minutes left in the game.
With a substantial lead still intact though, Hudson rotated in some of its younger players, highlighting what MacAnespie describes as the incredible depth of his team.
Over the past week Hudson has seen several players get injured, making this team, once touted for its experience, increasingly reliant on those call-ups from JV.
Younger players like Spencer Cullen had great success on Friday. Cullen, in particular, recovered a fumble and applied considerable pressure on Assabet’s quarterbacks all night.
“We’re spreading people around getting a lot of kids some great playing time,” MacAnespie said. “We are really fortunate to have some great depth in terms of players who can come in and play really well. It’s great to have these guys who can step up and make it so that we don’t have to change the way we play because of these injuries.”
No matter who was on the field, the atmosphere at Assabet High School on Friday night was one of excitement. One week after their win in Clinton, the football team brought forth troves of Hudson students who made the trip across town to Assabet. The Red Sea was loud and passionate, engaging with the players, and thrilling even the coaches of the Hawk football team.
“It’s great to see kids out doing positive stuff, having a great time, being fans of the game,” MacAnespie said of the team spirit he saw Friday night. “Our players appreciate it. I appreciate it. They traveled to Clinton last week. Next week is our home opener, so we’re hoping the turnout is gonna be even bigger.”
Hawk football fans have much to turn out for. Hudson is 2-0 and has scored over 50 points in just two games. The run game has been working. As he sizes up next week’s home opener vs Westboro, MacAnespie says he will stick to what is working.
“We have a good group of kids running!” he says laughing.
