Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth quarterback David Top hands the ball off to Chris Reid during the first half of Saturday's section playoff game against Nicollet in Hills. H-BC-E topped the Raiders 26-19 to earn a berth in tomorrow night's championship game in Hills.
By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek High School senior Brad Haak may have some glorious days in front of him, but it will be hard to top what the standout athlete experienced in a 24-hour span on Friday and Saturday.
One day after winning the Section 3A Individual Cross Country race in Tracy, Haak scored a defensive touchdown which provided the game-winning points in a 26-19 win over Nicollet in a Section 2 Nine-Man Football Playoff game played in Hills Friday.
Haak, a starting receiver-defensive back for the H-BC-Ellsworth football team, and the rest of the No. 1 seeded Patriots watched Nicollet erase an 18-6 deficit by scoring 13 consecutive points in the second and third quarters to take a 19-18 lead.
The fourth-seeded Raiders were threatening to pad their lead with a drive entering H-BC-E territory late in the third quarter.
During a fourth-and-six situation, Nicollet ran an option play to the right side of the field that turned ugly when a pitch by the quarterback was bobbled and dropped by the running back.
Being in the right place at the right time, Haak scooped up the loose ball and raced 65 yards for a touchdown to give the Patriots a 24-19 advantage.
After having one two-point conversion pass from quarterback David Top to Lyle DeBoer negated by a holding penalty, the same combination clicked for what was a 13-yard conversion pass and catch that gave the Patriots their margin of victory at 26-19.
The conversion ended up being overshadowed by Haak's big defensive play as the Raiders were unable to score in the fourth quarter.
"He really is having a great senior year," said Patriot coach Dan Ellingson, referring to Haak.
To emphasize Haak's importance to H-BC-E's football team, the section championship game will be played around his schedule.
The event was scheduled to be played Saturday afternoon but has been moved up to tomorrow night so Haak can run at the state cross country meet in Northfield Saturday morning.
The 9-0 Patriots will host 8-2 Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster, a 12-6 double-overtime winner over Westbrook-Walnut Grove, at 7 p.m. in Hills.
Although no more points were scored after the conversion following HaakÕs defensive touchdown, the game wasn't decided until the final minute.
Patriot Kevin Van Batavia produced what proved to be the game-clinching play when he picked off a pass with 1:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, but H-BC-E fumbled the ball on the next play from scrimmage and the Raiders recovered on the Patriot 45-yard line.
Facing a fourth-and-six from the 41, Nicollet tried a long pass that was knocked down at the last second by H-BC-E defender Chris Reid on the 15-yard line.
The Patriots were able to run the rest of the time off the clock after Reid's big play.
H-BC-E dominated the game's early stages while opening a 12-0 lead.
The Patriots received the opening kickoff and marched 57 yards with Reid scoring on a five-yard run to end the drive. A missed extra-point attempt followed the touchdown.
H-BC-E was driving again with its second possession, but a Nicollet defender intercepted a pass and returned 30 yards before being stripped of the ball from behind by a hustling Haak. DeBoer recovered the fumble on the H-BC-E 35, and Reid made Nicollet pay for the mistake when he dashed for a 65-yard touchdown run on the next play.
A failed two-point conversion attempt followed the touchdown.
Just when H-BC-E appeared to be on the verge of blowing out the Raiders, Nicollet made a statement. On the second play of its next possession, Nicollet back Tony Hulke ran for a 65-yard touchdown. A missed two-point conversion left the Patriots sporting a 12-6 lead.
The Patriots regained a 12-point cushion with their next offensive possession when a 45-yard run by Reid set up a one-yard touchdown plunge by DeBoer in the second quarter. The run for a conversion failed.
Nicollet countered H-BC-E's score when Raider quarterback Andy Truebenbach dashed 30 yards for a touchdown during a fourth-and-five play. A failed conversion run left the Patriots sporting an 18-12 halftime cushion.
Ellingson said scoring early against the physical Raiders was one of the keys to victory.
"They are a good team. They are big and strong. It was important for us to get out to an early lead because it gave us confidence. It wasn't a big lead that they couldnÕt overcome, but it gave us a little bit of an edge. Another key was the outstanding individual plays turned in by some of our kids. We made a lot of them," he concluded.
Team statistics
H-BC-E: 290 rushing yards, 16 passing yards, 306 total yards, 11 first downs, five penalties for 45 yards, three turnovers.
Nicollet: 350 rushing yards, 36 passing yards, 386 total yards, 11 first downs, six penalties for 54 yards, three turnovers.
Individual statistics
Rushing: Reid 21-204, DeBoer 19-70, Jesse Leuthold 1-1, Chris Tiesler 1-9, Van Batavia 1-5, David Top 1-1.
Passing: Top 3-5 for 16 yards.
Receiving: Darin DeBoer 1-13, Haak 1-9, L.DeBoer 1-minus six.
Defense: Schilling 12 tackles and one interception, Reid 12 tackles, Leuthold 10 tackles, L.DeBoer five tackles and one fumble recovery, Van Batavia one interception, Haak six tackles and one fumble recovery, Kyle Braun seven tackles and one sack, Lee Walraven one sack.