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Teamwork pays off for Hubbard against S. Range
By BOB ETTINGER
CANFIELD
Knowing a teammate inside and out is usually an advantage that’s hard to top. Hubbard mates Derrick Cobbin and A.J. Trobek used that edge to give the Eagles a 4-1 victory South Range at Raiders Stadium in Northeast 8 action on Thursday night.
“Those guys have played together since they were, I believe, 8,” Hubbard coach Cory Reinard said. “They have a great connection and a great understanding. We work the press, counter press and then counterattack. They have a great understanding of each other. And it’s not just those two. Everyone has their places. They know their roles and have a great understanding of each other.”
Cobbin scored on a feed from Trobek in the 15th minute of the second half to break a 1-1 tie for the Eagles (12-0, 9-0), who remained unbeaten and untied.
“We’ve been playing together since we were 7 years old,” Cobbin said of his connection with Trobek. “We have a connection. We know what the other is going to do.”
That score got the Eagles rolling downhill.
“We were stung a bit, but the boys didn’t quit,” South Range coach Mike Bailey said. “They’re always going to play hard. It’s tough, at times, when things aren’t going your way. They didn’t quit, but that took some of the wind from their sails.”
Anthony Gagliardi added a goal for Hubbard in the 20th minute of the second half and Eloy Kim cemented the victory in the 34th minute.
Trobek, with a pass from Cobbin, put the Eagles in front, 1-0, in the 24th minute of the first half.
“We’ve had a strong connection, I feel, since my freshman year,” Trobek, a junior, said of Cobbin, a senior. “We’ve grown together and bonded on, and off, the field. It showed. Derrick ran 80 yards, we had a give-and-go and he scored. I ran 30 yards, we had a give-and-go and I scored. We work well together.”
South Range (7-4-1, 5-3-1) wrestled control of the momentum away from Hubbard behind Canaan Johnson, who scored on a shot from about 40 yards out with just two seconds to play in the first half.
“We had a corner kick, they cleared it out, but Canaan is a kid who just doesn’t quit,” Bailey said. “He’s he engine for the team. When he goes, we go. He had the wherewithal to let one fly in that moment. We were happy to get that one.”
The Raiders held that emotional edge until Cobbin broke through for his goal.
“I thought we came out strong in the second half and held that momentum until they scored that goal.”