by Dakota Antelman
After falling to North Middlesex 34-6 at home, the football team is assessing what has caused its 0-4 start and turning its attention towards a series of crucial road games over the next three weeks.
The loss to the Patriots came just a week after the Hawks ended up on the wrong side of a 37-14 score against Auburn. It also followed a narrative similar to that of Hudson’s week one loss to Assabet, with the Patriots jumping out to a lead in the first half and holding the Hawks at bay for the rest of the game.
After his team mustered just 142 yards of total offense, and after his defense surrendered 28 points in the first half, Hudson lineman and captain Cam Hannigan was disappointed.
“There’s definitely going to be offensive and defensive changes, and we’re definitely going to be battling it out because I’m sick of this,” Hannigan said. “I don’t like being 0-4.”
After each team failed to score on their first series, North Middlesex quarterback Joe Haskins was able to connect with receiver Jake Hachey late in the first quarter for the game’s first touchdown.
From there, the Patriots began to extend their lead while stifling Hudson’s own drives. Dan DiPano soon stretched the lead to 14-0 on a 12-yard rushing touchdown, all before an interception and a 60-yard run by Haskins set up Hachey to score once again, boosting the score 21-0.
Tim O’Niell and Xavier Marty would add scores for North Middlesex while Hudson quarterback Stephen Miranda eventually connected with receiver Zach Chaulk for a 8-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of the first half.
“We need to toughen up,” Hannigan said of the Hudson run defense. “We need to dig deep this week. We need to dig deep for the rest of the season, and we’re going to have to stop getting blown back off the ball.”
Likewise, Hannigan recognized the pressure that his quarterback, Stephen Miranda, has been under for much of the season as opposing pass rushers have frequently been able to beat their Hudson blockers and hit him.
“They’ve definitely shown improvement from week one to week four, but there’s still little things that we need to pick up,” Hannigan said of his teammates on the offensive line. “The linebackers are what is killing us right now. They keep coming in, and we keep getting messed up mentally thinking ‘who is getting who?'”
Head Coach Dan McAnespie noted the struggles of the offensive line, but he also attributed some of the loss to his team’s three turnovers.
“We turned the ball over a lot today,” he said. “When you turn the ball over against a good team like that, they’re going to score.”
The Hawks fumbled the ball early in the first quarter and were then intercepted twice before halftime. Despite heavy rain at points during the game, McAnespie said that the conditions were not responsible for the turnovers.
Overall, Friday’s loss was a frustrating one for the Hawks, who returned from halftime to see that many of their fans had already left the game.
As Hannigan and his team head out to Gardner, Quabbin and Tyngsboro over the next three weeks, Hannigan is hoping he will be able to help rack up three wins to excite the fan base once again.
“I could see why the Red Sea left at halftime when we’re having such difficulty at the beginning of the season,” he said. “Hopefully, Homecoming will bring that Red Sea back, and we’ll have three wins on the road.”
