By PETE MOLLICA

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

POLAND — The Poland High football team dedicated its new playing surface in memory of former coach Dave Pavlansky. Then the Bulldogs went out and gave Thursday’s standing-room-only crowd something to cheer about.

Poland used a combination of a sound running game and a couple of pinpoint passes to open its season with a 24-14 victory over Hubbard in a game involving two teams of the new All-American Conference.

Because both teams are in different divisions, it was not considered a conference matchup.

The Bulldogs rolled up 258 yards on the ground while senior quarterback Gannon Hulea, who attempted only six passes, completed two of them for touchdowns. Both were to senior running back Greg Sabol.

Junior Luke Wollet led the Bulldogs with 101 yards rushing, including a 73-yard touchdown scamper for the game’s first score.

“I give our kids a lot of credit tonight, they’ve worked hard on conditioning and it really paid off in the second half,” Poland coach Mark Brungard said.

“We knew that Hubbard had some great backs and a lot of speed and they were much bigger than we were up front, but our kids hung in there with them and really did the job tonight,” Brungard said.

The Eagles finished with 137 yards rushing — 120 of them came from junior running back Andre Givens, who had a 66-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“It was disappointing since you work hard preparing for this opening game and then have it go against you,” Hubbard coach Brian Hoffman said.

“Give Poland credit, they executed well and played a great game tonight and they were able to control the ball, which kept our offense off the field most of the second half,” Hoffman said.

The Bulldogs scored quickly the second time they touched the football in the opening quarter.

Starting at their own 31, Sabol gained six yards on the first carry, then Wollet followed on the next play right up the middle, breaking into the open and outrunning the defense for a 73-yard score.

The Eagles came right back on the next series and tied the game. They moved down to their own 47 yard line where senior quarterback Sam Bellino tossed a deep pass to junior wide receiver Tommy Jackson.

Jackson had to stop and out-leap a Poland defender for the ball. When the defender fell down, Jackson waltzed into the end zone.

The Bulldogs’ defense set up their second score when they sacked Bellino at his own 3-yard line and forced a Hubbard punt out of its own end zone.

They got the ball on the Eagles’ 48. On the first play Hulea dumped off a short pass to Sabol, who got to the sidelines, evaded a tackle and romped the rest of the way to the end zone.

Following a scoreless third quarter, the Bulldogs increased their lead early in the final quarter.

They drove from their own 34 to the Hubbard 30 late in the third quarter. As the final quarter started, they faced a fourth-and-seven at the Eagles 30.

Brungard called time out and set up the play which had Hulea rolling to his left, then throwing back across the field to a wide open Sabol, who ran untouched to the end zone.

Again the Eagles answered as on the next series Givens broke through a big hole, got into the open and ran away from everybody on a 66-yard scamper.

Poland closed out the scoring with another long, time consuming drive which stalled at the Hubbard 17. Senior kicker Ryan Rovnak booted a 34-yard field goal with about two minutes remaining.

Wollet ended any hopes the Eagles had in the final two minutes when he intercepted a pass thrown by junior Matt Shelton and then the Bulldogs ran out the clock.

mollica@vindy.com