Improvements Not Enough to Lift Hawks Past Gaels

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The Hawks set up for a defensive play deep in their own territory late in the first half. | by Siobhan Richards

by Dakota Antelman

Despite a week of improvements after last week’s game against Assabet, the football team came up just short of a win against Clinton on Friday, losing at home 20-18.

Stephen Miranda and the Hawks’ pass game churned out twice as many passing yards, with 143, as they did a week ago. The run game also surpassed its week one total by the end of the first quarter, finishing the day with 135 yards. On defense, the Hawks were able to slow down the Clinton run game just a week after giving up 123 yards to Assabet’s Gabe Souza alone.

“We improved a lot this week compared to last week; we played a lot better,” said receiver Zach Chaulk before turning his attention to next Friday. “We’re playing a tough Auburn team next week, so this week at practice we’re going to have to be going at 100 percent [on] every single snap [and] every single drill.”

After the Hawks jumped out to an early lead on a Stephen Miranda 11-yard touchdown run, Clinton strung together a 40-yard run and a 50-yard passing play to set themselves up inside the Hudson 20 yard line. On the next play, they seized the lead from Hudson with a touchdown and a successful extra point attempt.

As the Hawks and Gaels came out of halftime, Hudson pounced on an early opportunity when Kyle Lally recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half. Initially touched by a waiting Clinton receiver, the ball skittered back to the Clinton 20 yard line, where Lally dove to take possession.

For Coach Dan McAnespie, recovering the fumble was proof of the improvements his special teams players made in practice after a rough start to their season.

“We worked on it all week, and the kids responded,” he said. “We spent a lot of time on that this week, and it worked out very well today.”

The Hawks would fail to score on the ensuing drive, however, with Clinton stopping four straight plays by the Hawks and taking over deep in their own territory.

That left the game wide open for the Gaels to stretch their lead early in the fourth quarter, and again just a few plays later when they recovered a Hudson fumble near midfield and promptly marched the ball down the field to push the score to 20-6.

With roughly five minutes left in the game, however, the Hawks were able to claw back into contention, thanks in part to a 59-yard touchdown reception by Adam O’Neill. Hudson was able to bring itself within two points of a tie game moments later when Miranda and receiver Thomas Di Battista connected for a late touchdown reception. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt ultimately failed though, and the Hawks conceded defeat shortly afterwards.

The loss was a difficult one for the Hawks, with Chaulk describing the feeling on the field as “heartbreaking.”

But even in the minutes directly following the loss, the Hawks focused primarily on the successes of Friday’s game, with Chaulk commending his teammates for their enthusiasm on the sideline.

“Last week, I definitely saw them get a little down when we are losing,” he said. “Today I told the sidelines, we need to get loud. You guys are driving us. A couple things didn’t go our way, but the sidelines and everybody were in it the whole game.”

McAnespie’s message was much shorter.

“We fought this one,” he said. “We fought hard. That’s what I told the kids. It’s not what we wanted since it was a loss, but we fought for sure.”