The St. Charles Bulldogs wrapped up their first undefeated regular season since 1999, but Hemlock made sure that it didn’t come easy. The winless Huskies were able to stay in the game and even threaten a late-game rally, however a comeback never materialized.
It was St. Charles’ senior quarterback Brian Halas who opened the scoring with a pass, uncharacteristic of the Bulldogs’ wing T offense. Marshall Davenport made the reception and sprinted uncontested into the end zone to give the ‘Dogs an 8-0 lead.
Hemlock returned the favor - almost. The Huskies found a way to drive all the way to inside their opponents’ 5-yard line. Senior runningback Mitch Wagoner took a hand-off and sprinted off tackle into the end zone.
Unfortunately, a holding penalty negated the score. Hemlock went on to turn the ball over on downs.
Like the first half, junior runningback Marshall Davenport accounted for the first touchdown of the second half, this time on a simple trap play. Dugan Roosa ran the 2-point conversion in to give the Bulldogs a 16-0 advantage.
The Huskies retaliated. Mitch Wagoner carried his squad on an efficient drive, then capped it with a 4-yard run. The Huskies failed in their attempt to keep pace with a 2-point conversion, but had finally entered the scoreboard.
Only a couple plays later, though, Davenport found room to run around the left side and answered with his third touchdown of the night. The points-after pass attempt failed.
The scoring stalled early in the fourth quarter until Brad Saunders, St. Charles’ stand-out defensive end, lived every big man’s dream. Hemlock quarterback Justin Herline dropped back and attempted to complete a pass. Saunders, who was applying a pass rush, stretched out his arm, caught the ball one-handed, and sprinted as fast as he could into the end zone.
With the score at 28-6 halfway through the final quarter, it appeared as if the St. Charles players were ready to enter cruise control.
Hemlock didn’t give them the chance.
St. Charles’ back-up punter, positioned near his own end zone, fumbled a snap in the rain and Hemlock recovered the ball at the Bulldog 2-yard line. Three plays later, Herline rushed for a touchdown. Once again, the conversion attempt failed, leaving the score at 28-12.
They weren’t done. The Huskies successfully recovered their own onside kick, and appeared to be garnering momentum. Unfortunately for them, though, the drive stalled out and Hemlock was forced to turnover on downs. St. Charles executed every coach’s favorite play - the knee - to leave the field with a hard-earned victory.
The difference in the game was the well-rounded St. Charles rushing attack. Ryan Humpert led the way with 13 rushes for 136 yards. Marshall Davenport accumulated 115 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries to accompany his touchdown reception, and quarterback Brian Halas added 93 yards on 11 attempts. Hemlock’s Mitch Wagoner led the Huskies with 85 rushing yards, including one touchdown.
The Bulldogs will be preparing for their first-round play-off game next week. Hemlock’s season is over, but they should congratulate themselves on a great year. Despite a lack of victories, the Huskies played close games with a variety of very tough teams and should be proud of the way they handled themselves.
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