By Marty Gitlin

sports@vindy.com

HUDSON

Austintown Fitch football coach Phil Annarella admitted he yearned for revenge against host Hudson in the season opener Friday night.

After all, the Explorers easily shot down the Falcons in Week 1 a year ago.

What Annarella had to settle for was a better battle. When the final tick drained from the clock, his team had fallen, 17-7. Not bad, considering Hudson reached the Division II state semifinals in 2015.

But if one thinks Annarella was happy with a moral victory, one should think again.

“We did [play them tougher],” he said. “But moral victories we don’t want. We want the real thing.”

The real thing is just about impossible to get when an offense can’t find its way into the end zone. The Falcons finally found their ground game in the second half, but were blanked after snagging a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

That score came courtesy of their defense — specifically defensive back Jason Johns, who pulled off a pick-six at the 2:40 mark. Johns stepped up on a woefully underthrown pass by Explorers quarterback Jackson Parker and raced 33 yards for the touchdown.

But that’s when a Fitch defense that had stymied Hudson to that point suffered a letdown. First, however, it was the special teams that allowed a 47-yard kickoff return to Alex Beck. Running back Kevin Callahan soon bolted through a huge hole over left tackle for 29 yards, then broke free for a 5-yard score to tie the game with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.

The most critical play of the contest was soon to come. With four minutes remaining in the half, Falcons quarterback Nate Fowler attempted to throw a pass to wideout Devin Moore. The two did not appear to be on the same page as defensive back Evan Westerbeck picked it off and raced to the Fitch 10. Parker did the rest, barreling around right end for the touchdown and a 14-7 lead.

Annarella was not exactly turning cartwheels over the interception that set up the score. “Until I talk to our guys, I don’t know exactly what happened there,” he said. “I know they sat on that play and did a good job and that we didn’t execute it. That was a big play. That was a killer.”

It might not have been a killer had Fitch moved the ball well throughout and finished off drives. But at least they found their offensive groove after intermission. Featured back Randy Smith was particularly effective in the second half with 71 yards on 11 rushing attempts after managing just 11 yards on seven tries previously.

“We had to make adjustments at halftime,” Annarella explained. “We made some formation adjustments and we did a much better job. We probably should have started out that way.”

It didn’t matter to the outcome, however. Hudson placekicker Grant Gonya booted a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter, then the Falcons faltered down the stretch after an effective drive. They reached the Explorers 8-yard-line, but a holding penalty all but ended their hopes of a comeback.

And their hopes for revenge.