Hawks lose hard-fought overtime game to South O’Brien 29-28
It all came down to an extra point kick in overtime. South O’Brien converted and won by the narrowest of margins, 29-28 over Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn September 29 at Paullina. HMS had to rally four times to force overtime, but in the end it was the Wolverines who notched their first win of the season. The Hawks fell to 0-4 in Class A District 1 and to 0-6 on the season.
The teams were tied 22-22 going into overtime. South O’Brien won the coin toss and went on defense. Starting from the 10 yard line with four downs at their disposal, the Hawks ran for no gain and saw a pass fall incomplete. On third-and-10 James Gellerman ran around left end for the touchdown. The two-point run fell just short.
On their turn with the ball the Wolverines ran for two yards and then quarterback Justice Frerk found wide receiver Willie Conley open in the end zone. Derek Paulsen was true on the all-important PAT kick.
“I was proud of our kids to put it into overtime,” said HMS head coach Jay Eilers. “I’m proud of our kids getting the touchdown in overtime. We had miscommunication on the two-point conversion. I thought we had a great opportunity there. We just came up short.”
The Hawks came into this battle of attrition already shorthanded. “Wednesday we find out we’re in the position that we are with players gone and we’re trying to develop kids in new positions and in the game kids go down,” noted Eilers. “They’re not even getting to rep positions that they’re working at. We’ll do our best. I know that. I know our kids will. I know our coaches will.”
South O’Brien took a first-quarter lead on a 47-yard pass from Frerk to Paulsen. In this instance, the PAT kick was short. The Hawks answered in the second quarter as Jack Mastbergen hooked up with James Gellerman. The two-point run was denied. The Wolverines led at halftime courtesy of a 34-yard touchdown reception by Conley and the conversion run by Damian Villarreal. In the first half HMS lost a fumble and had a pass intercepted.
The Hawks knotted the game on their opening possession of the second half. Gellerman capped the 62 yard drive with a one-yard plunge and added the two-point conversion. Midway through the fourth quarter Paulsen was on the receiving end of another scoring toss, this one coming on fourth-and-10 from 33 yards out.
Eilers was complimentary of the Wolverine receivers but looks for more aggression from his team. “Sports is about opportunities, and when your opportunity is given and you take it, I think that’s why sports is so enjoyable,” observed the coach. “Right now we’re having opportunities and we’re not taking them. Until we do, were going to struggle and we’re going to be in positions where we’re playing passive rather than aggressive. It doesn’t matter if it’s a d-lineman, a linebacker or a corner, I’m aggressive. When the ball’s in the air, I go get it. It’s mine. There’s a mentality. We’ve just got to continue to develop that and continue to help kids grow and do the best we can to coach our kids up.”
Trailing 22-14, HMS ground out another scoring drive, dominated by Gellerman, to tie the game again. “I thought James Gellerman ran hard,” said his coach. “He’s athletic. He does great things for us. We’re asking everything from him right now. The thing I can say is I know that kid gives us that.” Consistency still eludes the Hawks however. “I think we’ve got to do a better job of controlling the line of scrimmage,” expressed Eilers. “We lost some guys this week that help us do that. When you run a power offense football system and we’re not able to dominate the line of scrimmage there are going to be struggles. I think obviously, offensively, we’ve struggled.”
Up Next:
The Hawks are back home Friday night to take on Sibley-Ocheyedan. The Generals are 2-3 in district play and dropped the only non-district game they have played. They suffered a 21-20 home loss to Gehlen Catholic last Friday. “I think Sibley’s going to be a tough test,” commented Eilers. “I think they do a good job of being balanced. They run the ball but then they throw the ball well, too. Until we get pressure on the quarterback, and until we make plays on balls and put ourselves to be in the position to say, ‘Hey, that’s mine. I’m taking it.’ we’re going to struggle. We’re going to ask our kids to come back and focus on the opportunities in front of them. This is an opportunity for us to go out as a team and as a family. I feel like when you feel the pressure of stacking negatives against you, if you focus on the stack, if you focus on the negative, you’re not going to focus on your responsibility. I think I need to do a better job there. I need to help our kids and put them in the best position available.”
Game time is 7:00 p.m. Friday, October 6 at Hartley.
HMS 0 6 8 8 6 – 28
S. O’Brien 6 8 0 8 7 – 29
First Quarter
10:16 S. O’Brien – Derek Paulsen 47 yard pass from Justice Frerk (kick failed) 0-6
Second Quarter
9:47 HMS – James Gellerman 8 yard pass from Jack Mastbergen (2 pt run fails) 6-6
6:20 S. O’Brien – Willie Conley 34 yard pass from Frerk (Damian Villarreal 2 pt run) 6-14
Third Quarter
6:15 HMS – Gellerman 1 yard run (Gellerman 2 pt run) 14-14
Fourth Quarter
6:56 S. O’Brien – Paulsen 33 yard pass from Frerk (Villarreal 2 pt run) 14-22
3:36 HMS – Gellerman 16 yard run (Gellerman 2 pt run) 22-22
Overtime
HMS – Gellerman 10 yard run (Gellerman 2 pt run) 22-28
S. O’Brien – Conley 8 yard pass from Frerk (Paulsen kick) 29-28
Rushing: Gellerman 35-135, 3 TD; Mastbergen 8-80, 1 TD; Jr. Araiza 1-1.
Passing: Mastbergen 2-6, 20 yards.
Receiving: Evan Eilers 1-14, Jayden Leth 1-6.
Leading Tacklers: Gellerman 9 (7 solos), Ethan Wiersma 4 (3), Araiza 3.5 (3), Eilers 3 (2), Bradley Van Beek 3 (2), Slayton McCarter 2.5 (2).
Kickoff returns: Gellerman 2-16, Leth 1-6.
Punts: Gellerman 4-132 (33 yd avg).