Poland rallies to beat Hoban

Kyle Filicky’s 22-yard field goal in the final seconds won it, 10-7.

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator sports staff

UNIONTOWN — With 19 seconds left and the game on the line, Akron Hoban coach Ralph Orsini called timeout in order to ice Poland senior kicker Kyle Filicky.

“I got into the huddle and said, ‘Guys, they don’t understand. You can’t ice a trumpet player,” said Bulldogs coach Mark Brungard.

Seconds later, Filicky — who plays trumpet in the marching band when he’s not running cross country, kicking for the football team or acing honors classes — blasted a 22-yard field goal through the uprights, giving Poland a 10-7 come-from-behind victory in a Division III regional semifinal at Blue Streak Stadium.

“It was nerve-wracking, but Kyle’s a relaxed kid,” said Poland senior Luke Wollet. “We had faith in him.”

Earlier in the game, Filicky’s left plant foot slipped on a 31-yard field goal attempt. Lake’s FieldTurf is different than the turf at Poland, so, at halftime, Filicky switched from cleats to tennis shoes.

It worked.

“I liked the kick,” said Filicky, who spent more time shrugging than talking in his postgame interview. “I don’t know what to say. I was pretty confident. I believe in myself.”

“I was happy, of course. I don’t know.”

The mixed emotions were due more to Filicky’s personality — “relaxed” doesn’t do him justice — than any feelings about the victory considering next week’s opponent. The Bulldogs (9-3) will meet Cardinal Mooney in next week’s regional final.

Lake’s P.A. announcer gave scoring updates all night, so Wollet was well aware of the Cardinals’ 55-0 win over Hubbard.

“That’s good for them,” he said. “That’s why we play the game. I’m sure we’ll be a big underdog.

“We’re going to play the game and we’re going to play Poland football and whatever happens, happens.”

When Brungard was asked about Mooney, his eyes narrowed and he said, “Can I enjoy this for two more minutes?”

Then he grinned.

“No, they’re a great program,” he said. “We’re going to enjoy this and go back to work.

“I love this team, I love coaching them and I’m excited we have another week together.”

They almost didn’t.

For the first three quarters Friday night, Hoban’s defense stymied Poland’s attack — particularly in the red zone — as the Knights took a 7-0 lead on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Dan Hinton to Ben Coudriet midway through the second quarter.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, saw two first-half drives end in the red zone, then were held to just one first down in the third quarter.

Finally, late in the third, the offense put it all together, driving 53 yards in 13 plays to tie the game on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Wollet on fourth-and-goal with 6:14 left.

Poland actually had a first-and-goal at the 4, but it took four straight Wollet runs to finally break through.

“We knew it would be a defensive struggle, but our offensive line did a great job,” said Wollet, who rushed for 90 yards on 23 carries and caught eight passes for 41 yards. “We were moving one yard, one yard, just getting closer and closer.

“It just came down to our will. We knew if we didn’t score there, it would be a big momentum shift to Akron Hoban.”

Sophomore QB Colin Reardon completed 18 of 29 passes for 193 yards and one interception and junior Darius Patton caught seven passes for 122 yards.

Junior Anthony Machi made one of the game’s biggest plays with less than two minutes left, getting a piece of a Hoban punt to give Poland the ball at the Hoban 47. Two passes later — one to Wollet for 13 yards, the other to Patton for 29 — and the Bulldogs had the ball at the Knights’ 5 to set up Filicky’s kick.

“There was an urgency right at the end,” said Brungard, who felt Hoban’s talented kicker Zach Christensen made overtime too risky. “We felt we had to win it in regulation.”

Hoban (8-4), which lost in the Division II state semifinals last year, didn’t do much offensively, gaining just 149 yards on 43 plays. Hinton threw for 87 and RB Lawrence Wynn had 75 on the ground, but Poland’s defense — and Machi’s block — proved too much to overcome.

“You go through 11 games and Game 12 with no blocked kicks until the last punt,” Orsini said, shaking his head. “That was kind of disheartening.

“They made plays when they needed to at the end and that’s why Poland won the game.”

scalzo@vindy.com