Hendricken hangs on

Hawks overcome deficit, win 23rd straight game against rival Toll Gate

Matt Metcalf, Assistant Sports Editor
Posted 12/2/14

It was the first time that Toll Gate scored a touchdown against Hendricken since 2009 and the first time that the Titans scored more than 10 points in the annual game since 2008.

But at the end …

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Hendricken hangs on

Hawks overcome deficit, win 23rd straight game against rival Toll Gate

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It was the first time that Toll Gate scored a touchdown against Hendricken since 2009 and the first time that the Titans scored more than 10 points in the annual game since 2008.

But at the end of the day, the Hawks escaped with a 21-12 win over Toll Gate, their 23rd straight victory in the Thanksgiving Day series over the Titans. The game was played on Friday night.

Hendricken sat its starters to rest for the Super Bowl on Saturday, giving some players who don’t get a ton of playing time some game action on senior night.

“I’m happy for the seniors,” Hendricken head coach Keith Croft said. “They’ve been a part of some big games here and some big wins in their four-year careers. We got to get some new guys in there tonight who really don’t play that much. I’m happy for those kids, they work hard every day in practice.”

No matter who was on the field though, the Titans gave the defending state champions all they could handle in the first half.

Toll Gate received the ball to start the game and marched right down the field, aided by big runs from Nick Lemoie, Alex Mowry and Sean Vann.

But after marching down to inside the Hawks’ 10-yard line, three penalties on the Titans ultimately forced a turnover on downs. It was certainly tough for Toll Gate to get deep in the red zone early and come away with no points.

“It’s tough to not get points there especially against a team like that,” Toll Gate head coach Jim Stringfellow said. “If you have the opportunities against Hendricken, you have to get the points, and we didn’t.”

However, after forcing a punt on Hendricken’s first possession, the Titans’ offense would capitalize on their next drive.

A 19-yard run by Vann took the Titans down to Hendricken’s 12-yard line, before Lemoie punched it in from 12 yards out to give the Titans a 6-0 lead to end the first quarter.

Hendricken wasn’t ready to go away quietly though.

The Hawks were forced to punt again early in the second quarter, but the Titans fumbled and Hendricken’s Joe D’Antonio recovered to give his offense solid field position.

The Hawks then constructed a drive that resulted in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Chris Hindle to Bret Buehrer on third down. Arthur Cuddy’s extra point gave the Hawks a 7-6 lead.

Less than four minutes later, Lemoie helped the Titans regain the lead, when he broke free for a 36-yard score to give Toll Gate a 12-7 lead with 2:37 remaining in the first half.

Lemoie put together an impressive night in his final game for Toll Gate, totaling 99 yards on the ground to go along with his two first half touchdowns.

“Lemoie was fantastic this whole year,” Stringfellow said. “He’s been a workhorse for us. He definitely picked up yards for us tonight when we needed them.”

A risky call in the final minute of the half proved to be costly and changed the momentum in the game.

On fourth-and-6 at their own 40, the Titans elected to go for it and didn’t punt. Toll Gate got stuffed on its fourth down try, giving the Hawks a shot with 28 seconds left in the half.

Hendricken didn’t let that opportunity go to waste.

On the next play, Hindle found Dante Baldelli down the right sideline, who out-leaped a defender and took it in for a 40-yard touchdown, giving the Hawks a 14-12 lead at the half.

After taking the lead prior to halftime, the Hawks never looked back.

Near the four-minute mark of the third quarter, Hendricken was able to tack on to its lead when Hindle escaped pressure in the pocket and took off for a 49-yard touchdown run, making it 21-12.

The sophomore quarterback was impressive in his only varsity start of the season, as he’s been stuck behind standout senior John Toppa for the whole season. Hindle made the most of his opportunity, throwing two touchdown passes and running for the Hawks’ third touchdown in the victory.

“He had a really good game,” Croft said. “It was a little tough to throw the ball tonight with the cold, but I think he has a bright future. He just has to keep working, he’s a really hard worker. He’s going to work on a couple things in the off-season, but I think he has a good two years ahead of him.”

The Hawks’ running game was aided by Jake Derderian, who compiled 47 yards on the ground. Matt DiTondo added 30 rushing yards, while Anthony DiMauro added 26.

The Titans couldn’t cut into their deficit after surrendering the lead at the end of the first half. They never made it into the red zone in the second half, crossing on to Hendricken’s side of the field a couple of times but not threatening to score.

For Toll Gate, Vann also had an impressive night in his last game as a Titan, totaling 95 yards on 71 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards. Mowry added 46 yards on just five carries.

For Hendricken, it will now focus its attention on the undefeated Rams. The Hawks will face off against their rival on Saturday at 12 p.m. in the Division I Super Bowl at Cranston Stadium. Hendricken’s starters will be well rested, taking two full weeks off from game action.

Toll Gate’s season, on the other hand, came to an end following the Thanksgiving game. After three winless seasons in league play, the Titans won one league game and two non-league games in 2014.

There was no doubt after the game that Stringfellow felt that his team had taken a step in the right direction this year.

“This was the most wins they’ve had in years,” Stringfellow said. “For us, this year was a big step for us going into next year. We’ll look to build off of this for next year.”

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