Despite injury, Lane lifts Hubbard

The Eagles' standout ran for 221 yards and three touchdowns.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HUBBARD -- Let's back up a second.
It's 7:30 a.m. on Friday and Hubbard senior Shaun Lane is having his separated shoulder examined by an orthopedic doctor, but no one's really sweating the diagnosis because, after all, it's no big deal. Doesn't mean much. Not much riding on it.
OK, maybe a little bit's riding on it.
OK, maybe a lot.
Let's fast forward. It's the sixth play of Friday night's game against visiting Liberty and, even though everyone expected Lane to miss two to four games, there he is, trotting out on the field, carrying the ball.
Let's fast forward again. It's late in the fourth quarter and, 31 carries after that first one, Lane powers into the end zone from 1 yard out, carrying with him Hubbard's season, its Trumbull Athletic Conference title hopes and the collective breath of everyone watching from the stands, listening on the radio, or watching the game on TV later that night.
Final score: Hubbard 28, Liberty 22.
Whew.
"I'm not 100 percent -- my shoulder's still a little sore," Lane, an Ohio State recruit, said. "But you gotta do what you gotta do to win."
Strong showing
And what Lane did was pretty impressive. He finished with 32 carries for 221 yards and three touchdowns, played most of the snaps on defense and, by the fourth quarter, was playing pretty much full-time on special teams, too.
"The original diagnosis was two to four weeks, but the doctor said he had made unbelievable progress in 36 hours," Hubbard coach Jeff Bayuk said. "He said if we kept him out of contact, he'd look at him again on Friday. When he examined him, he gave him the go-ahead."
When asked if the Eagles win without Lane, Bayuk laughed, then paused for a few seconds.
"I don't know," he said. "I don't know how to answer that question."
Liberty coach Jeff Whittaker does.
"He makes a great deal of difference," Whittaker said. "He makes plays. He's a great high school football player."
Of course, Liberty senior Bradley Fletcher isn't too shabby either.
Fletcher, an Iowa recruit, finished with 16 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. He also turned a surefire 2-yard loss into a dazzling 31-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Brian Jones in the second quarter.
"Bradley Fletcher is a lot better running back than people give him credit for," Bayuk said.
Pulling ahead
And, if given the chance, Fletcher may have had enough magic to pull out a win for the Leopards (3-2, 1-1).
But, after Liberty senior Mike Marvin scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Leopards a 23-22 lead with just under six minutes left, the Eagles took over.
Hubbard drove 80 yards in 14 plays, chewing five minutes off the clock and leaving Liberty with just 38.8 seconds left and little choice but to take a few desperation heaves downfield.
And, as Brian Jones' Hail-Mary pass fluttered incomplete on the game's final play, you can probably guess which Hubbard player was nearby.
Lane carried nine times for 48 yards on the final drive -- including the final eight offensive plays. But after missing the second half of last week's loss to Newton Falls, Lane was not about ask for a breather.
"The team needed me to play," Lane said.
Hubbard quarterback Brian Boyce finished 3 of 4 for 68 yards -- all to senior wideout Jacoby Morris -- and added nine carries for 23 yards, most of them coming on crucial quarterback sneaks. Running back Paul Toth added a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter for the Eagles (4-1, 1-1).
Liberty quarterback Brian Jones completed 6 of 11 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, while junior tight end Keith Forestal added three catches for 54 yards.
Still, it wasn't enough.
"There are no moral victories," Whittaker said. "[But] it's nice to know Hubbard has one loss and we still control our own destiny as far as the league race goes."
scalzo@vindy.com