The Hawks played Sacred Heart this past Friday, September 23rd. Unfortunately, the Hawks were unable to salvage a victory as they fell short. The team was recently coming off of a loss to Watertown. Meanwhile, Sacred Heart came into this game 1-1, after a loss to Oxford. Both teams were determined to finish Friday with a win and snap their losing streaks. Sacred Heart took the victory and defeated Woodland with a score of 67-28. However, there were some positives for the Hawks.
With junior running back Tom Smith out with a knee injury, the freshman, Zach Kabusk led the team with 171 rushing yards. Kabusk was able to step up to this role when he was called upon. He ended up scoring his first career touchdown with the Hawks on a 72 yard run. Another bright spot was when offensive lineman and defensive lineman, Cody Doyle stepped on the field for the first time this season. Doyle was injured during the first two games and in his first game back, the senior had key blocks up front to allow his running backs to pick up yards. Senior Scott Lawrence was able to come away with six tackles in the game as he is tied for second with the most tackles in Class S with 33. As we have seen in the first two weeks, the young Hawks defense gave up too many points. Seniors, like Doyle and Lawrence, will have to teach these young players to not get discouraged and play the season through without giving up. Senior quarterback, Quincy Koch, had four passing attempts but all four were incomplete. He rushed for two touchdowns and a total of eleven yards.
On the other side, Sacred Heart’s high-scoring offense was led by sophomore, Trey Dawson. Dawson passed for forty-six attempts while thirty-two of them were completed, a .70% pass completion rate. Dawson also threw for an impressive 498 yards against the Hawks topped off with 5 touchdowns. Dawson connected with top wide receiver Tyler Rudolph for twelve receptions and 226 yards. In Week 2, Rudolph was suspended and was unable to play, but he turned into a key factor for Sacred Heart in his first game back. Senior Courie Stevenson also had an impressive game as he had four receptions for 124 yards. Offense was explosive as Sacred Heart took advantage of the young Hawks defense.
Tonight, the Hawks (0-3) will take on their rival, The Naugatuck Greyhounds (2-1), are coming off an impressive 52-0 win against Torrington. It looks as if the Hawks defense will be tested once again. Sacred Heart (2-1) will play Seymour (2-0) who is coming off a BYE week.
