| BataviasBest.org
Sunday, October 5, 2014
In one of the most unpredictable games I have ever watched as a football fan, this contest between the Hawks and Dragons seemed to last forever and finished with Holley cruising to a 37-19 victory.
Saturday’s game began with Pembroke finding its way to an early 7-0 lead following a 28 yard run from Cal Neurohr. The touchdown came on a nice draw play that Neurohr took to the left sideline, and the distance for the score.
Following the early touchdown, however, Holley would quickly take over the game.
Forging a long drive, the Hawks were able to move the ball into the red zone easily and were approaching a score with about three minutes to go in the first quarter. Shortly after entering the scoring area, the Hawks punched the ball into the end zone and were ahead 8-7 following a successful two point attempt.
With 2:30 left to go in the first quarter, the Dragons would set up for the ensuing kickoff hoping for a score to put them back ahead. Unfortunately for Pembroke, though, Holley was able to get the ball back immediately as the kick was shanked short to the right side, out of reach of any Dragons player nearby, and was recovered by the Hawks. The bad luck had begun for Pembroke and would continue as the game progressed.
However, this time the misfortune did not cost the Dragons, as they were able to get the ball right back after Holley coughed it up on the first play of their drive.
Taking advantage of the turnover, Pembroke would march right down the field to take the lead, as Neurohr was able to break free once again for a nice 20 yard touchdown. The score came on a nicely-ran misdirection play that confused the Hawks’ defense and allowed Neurohr to cross the goal line nearly un-touched.
So with the score now 13-8 Pembroke with about eleven minutes to go in the first half, the Dragons must have been feeling good about themselves as it looked like they were prime to grab their first victory of the season. However, the Hawks had other plans.
Holley would go on to score 29 unanswered points following Neurohr’s second score of the day, and wound up winning the game by a surprising margin. A big reason for the turnaround, four Pembroke turnovers gave Holley plenty of extra opportunities throughout the game, while also providing the Hawks with the momentum they needed to get huge stops on defense. The Dragons looked like a defeated team after falling behind, and could never seem to pick up the pieces in order to mount a comeback.
The loss marks the fifth in a row for a young Pembroke team, who entered this year with a new head coach and a new system, which they seemingly haven’t gotten the hang of yet this season. Missing several opportunities on Saturday afternoon, as well as the entire season, the Dragons will really need to come together down the stretch if they hope to avoid the dreaded winless season.
Next up for Pembroke will be Alexander on the road in Week 6, while the Hawks face Oakfield in a road matchup.
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