Written by: Shane Lux on Saturday, August 20th, 2022
Hubbard – Ben Wilcox rushed for 109 and two touchdowns to lead Hubbard to a 28-8 season-opening victory against Youngstown East.
Hubbard opened up a 20-0 first-half lead. Then their defense shut the door in the second half.
“We got off to a fast start, then toward the end of the second quarter, things started got a little messy, and we started making some mistakes,” said Hubbard head coach Brian Hoffman. “We started to sustain ourselves again as the game wore on, and the guys started to make plays again.”
The Eagles took the opening kickoff and needed only 2:23 for the icebreaker as Wilcox ran reverse down the near sideline for a 50-yard touchdown.
Ben Wilcox 50 yd run, Hubbard 7 East 0, 9:37 1st, @Eagles_HHS @Hubbard_FBall pic.twitter.com/l06DulyJIs
— Shane Lux (@PFN_Luxy) August 19, 2022
In the first quarter’s closing seconds, Royal McConahy ran the same play down the far sideline for a 53-yard touchdown giving Hubbard a 14-0 lead after a quarter.
“Everyone from the offensive line to skill guys did a great job blocking, and our backs, if they get a crease, can make things happen.”
McConahy ran for 67 yards on only three carries on the night.
Following a long punt return by Wilcox, Xander Owens scampered for a 25-yard touchdown extending Hubbard’s lead 20-0 with 8:14 to play in the first half. Owens ran twice for 39 yards.
East got on the scoreboard on the ensuing drive when Thomas Nickerson hauled in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Blackmon with 3:16 to play in the half.
Blackmon ran in the conversion, and Hubbard’s 20-8 lead held at halftime.
Thomas Nickerson 41 yd TD from Andrew Blackmon, Hubbard 20 East 8, 3:16 2nd, pic.twitter.com/wbaEbUaHes
— Shane Lux (@PFN_Luxy) August 19, 2022
However, on the Golden Bears, final drive of the first half, quarterback Andrew Blackmon went down with an injury and never returned.
Blackmon led the Golden Bears with 38 yards rushing on nine carries while completing 2-of-4 passes for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Thomas Davis added 41 yards on six attempts, while Nickerson chipped in with 35 yards on five carries.
Things went from bad to worse as East received the second kickoff. Only their first series backup quarterback Breshean Buie also went down with an injury and did not return.
From there, East rotated several different players at quarterback but could only muster 14 second-half offensive yards.
“We told the guys halftime to make sure to stay in their lanes and not their quarterback become a duel threat,” said Hoffman. “We wanted to keep him in the pocket, and we did a job forcing some turnovers to give our offense good field position.”
Hubbard put the finishing touches on the victory when Wilcox scored on a 12-yard run with 8:15 to play.
“We were a bit sloppy at times, but it was our first full-time playing an opponent this season,” said Hoffman. “Those are things that we will learn from and improve upon this season.”
The Eagles will hop across the state line to play Greenville next Friday night.
Game Highlights:
Hubbard 28 East 8
Score by Quarters
East – 0 8 0 0 – 8
Hubbard – 14 6 0 8 – 28
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
H – Ben Wilcox 50 yd run, (Caleb MacKay pat), 9:37
H – Royal McConahy 53 yd run, (MacKay pat), 0:01
Second Quarter
H – Xander Owens 25 yd run, (rush failed), 8:14
E – Thomas Nickerson 41 yd pass from Andrew Blackmon, (Blackmon rush), 3:16
Fourth Quarter
H – Wilcox 12 yd run. (Wilcox rush), 8:15
Individual Stats
Rushing: East – Blackmon 9-38, Thomas Davis 6-41, Nickerson 5-35, Timothy Howell 3-6, Breshean Buie 3-(-15), Team 1-(-14), Warren 3-(-8), Garner 1-(-3). Totals: 31-80. Hubbard – Hubbard – Wilcox 18-109, Nikolas Hendrix 7-8, McConahy 3-67, Owens 2-39, Mason Hodge 1-7, Garland Warren 4-32, Baron Reynolds-Penny 1-12, Team 1-0. Totals: 37-274.
Receiving: East – Nickerson 1-41, Brian Thomas 1-21, Howell 1-4. Hubbard – Mason Hodge 1-16, McConahy 1-0, Wilcox 1-9.
Passing: East – Blackmon 2-for-4, 62 yards, 1 TD, Buie 1-for-3, 4 yards, Allen Garner 0-for-2, Keylin Warren 0-for-3. Hubbard – Hendrix 3-for-6, 25 yards.
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