St. Henry 37 Hillsdale 3

 

The D-7 state final put a powerhouse from the past, St. Henry, against Hillsdale. Hillsdale was looking for a better showing than it had last year in the state final game, where perennial powerhouse Marion Local put a 74-0 beating on them.

Things started out as well as they could for the Falcons' defense, as they not only held the Redskins scoreless but also held them to just 22 yards.

The Falcons offense would not score on their first drive, but they were able to hold the ball for seven plays and gain 18 yards. They would turn the ball over on downs when Owen Sloan was held to no gain on fourth and three.

The Redskins would need just four plays to take the 8-0 lead on their second drive. Will Speck rushed to his right and scored from 26 yards out. After a penalty on the Falcons, the Redskins decided to go for two, and that decision was the right one with Charlie Werling plowing in.

Hillsdale started with a Kael Lewis pass to Hayden McFadden for a gain of five. Lewis ran for nine to keep the drive headed the way they needed. Lewis to McFadden pass gained 46 yards, giving the Falcons a first and goal from the Redskins' seven. The first points the Falcons ever scored in a state final game came on a 23-yard field goal off of the foot of Senior Brock Bower to make this an 8-3 game. Sadly for the Falcons, that would be the only score they would get in this one, but as some people on the Falcons sideline and in the stands were heard saying, "At least we won't be shut out this time."

The Redskins started their next drive on their own thirty, and one play later Werling raced 70 yards for another touchdown that was followed by another encroachment call on the Falcons, resulting in another two-point conversion; this time it was a run by Werling, making this a 16-3 game, with 10:50 left in the half.

The Falcons' next drive ended with the offense losing 12 yards and punting the ball back to the Redskins. Five plays later, this was a 23-3 game thanks to a Werling 23-yard touchdown run and the PAT from Owen Zimmerman.

The Falcons would turn the ball over on downs again on their next drive, as the offense could gain only 21 yards in five plays. On the next two drives, one from each team, there would be just 21 yards of offense gained.

The Redskins offense came on the field with 2:02 showing on the clock. 6 plays and 28 yards later we had a 30-3 game thanks to a Werling-to-Speck 16-yard touchdown pass.

The Redskins would score once more, and that was in the third quarter on a drive that would see them rush six times for 32 yards to make this a 37-3 game, which would also be the final score.

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