Hubbard Playoff 08

Gallery

By Jon Moffett

After the go-ahead TD by Aurora, the Eagles received the kickoff and had 15 seconds remaining before falling, 14-7.

WARREN — Aurora quarterback Brendan Gallagher knew he had thrown the game-winning touchdown pass when the ball left his hand.

“When I let it go, I knew the man I was throwing to wanted to get in, and he was bound to get in,” Gallagher said. “I knew he was going to do the job.”

Gallagher connected with receiver Dee Brizzolara for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left, lifting the Greenmen to a 14-7 victory over Hubbard Saturday.

“It felt good off of my hand,” Gallagher said of the pass to Brizzolara, both seniors. “I knew if I got Dee in space, he was going to make a play.”

The Greenmen (10-2) accumulated 326 yards of total offense on 58 plays. The offense was clicking behind Gallagher, whose running and passing abilities kept the final drive alive.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback had runs of 10 and 14 yards on the final drive. He finished with 39 rushing yards on eight attempts. When running lanes wouldn’t open, Gallagher found success in the passing game. He completed 15 of his 24 passing attempts for 182 with two touchdowns and an interception.

“Tonight was a complete team effort,” Gallagher said. “The line gave me all day to throw — credit to the line on this one — and my backs and receivers just made plays after the catch.”

Brizzolara caught five passes for 50 yards, including the go-ahead score. Running Steven Yung also caught five passes, including a 58-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. Yung finished with 84 receiving yards and added another 47 yards on the ground on 14 attempts.

Hubbard (8-3) came to life in the second half. The Eagles’ defense came out determined and limited the Greenmen early. Aurora kicker Andy Heacox had a field goal blocked in the third quarter, and Hubbard’s Kurtis Drummond intercepted Gallagher in the end zone to stall a drive.

But a questionable pass interference call late in the fourth quarter enabled the Greenmen to push down the field and score.

“It was a key play in the drive ... but we had our opportunities,” said Brian Hoffman, Hubbard’s head coach.

Hubbard’s offense struggled early on, but gained momentum as the game progressed. Quarterback Matt Shelton was intercepted on the opening drive of the second half, but rallied back and led the Eagles into the red zone. Junior fullback Cory Farcas rumbled from 4 yards out for the game-tying touchdown with 4:30 left in the quarter.

“I’m very proud of our football team,” Hoffman said. “They came to play and we were in the game in the fourth quarter and we had a chance to win. We played a good football team tonight and I’m just very sad and disappointed for our seniors.”

After the go-ahead touchdown by Aurora, Hubbard received the kickoff and had 15 seconds remaining. On the last play, Shelton scrambled around in the pocket and was pressured by Greenmen defenders. As he was going down, Shelton hurried a throw, which was tipped and fell to the artificial turf of Mollenkopf Stadium.

“You win with dignity, and you lose with dignity,” Hoffman said. “They deserve better. This is a really great group of boys and I’m sorry to see them leave. We’ll do the best we can to get them back on track mentally and make them understand they had a tremendous football season, and they have nothing to be ashamed of.”

jmoffett@vindy.com