Hawks have dominant third quarter to thank for the title

Kevin Pomeroy, Sports Editor
Posted 12/9/14

The first half of Saturday’s Division I Super Bowl between Bishop Hendricken and La Salle looked like everything you’d expect from a typical Hawks-Rams showdown.

The score was 12-7, with both …

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Hawks have dominant third quarter to thank for the title

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The first half of Saturday’s Division I Super Bowl between Bishop Hendricken and La Salle looked like everything you’d expect from a typical Hawks-Rams showdown.

The score was 12-7, with both teams mixing in a few brilliant offensive plays to go with their traditional stout defense. It was hardnosed, evenly matched football.

The third quarter, however, was anything but even, and that 12-minute stretch paved the way for a fifth consecutive Hendricken championship, and its third victory in the Super Bowl over its chief rival in the last four years.

The Hawks out-scored La Salle 14-0 in the third quarter, pumping out two scoring drives on their only two possessions while yielding absolutely nothing to the explosive Rams’ offense.

It was pure dominance, and that showing all but put the game away before the fourth quarter even began.

“Our coach told us that they were a second-half team, so we had to step it up,” said senior defensive back Power Kanga. “They had the momentum because they scored going into the half. We just planned on stopping them, score and go from there.”

The tone in the second half was set right from the opening play. La Salle quarterback Jace Pena – who struggled throwing the ball the entire game – was hurried out of the pocket and threw the ball away.

Two plays later, the Rams had gained a grand total of four yards, forcing them into their first of three punts in the quarter.

And Hendricken took off from there. On the Hawks’ opening drive of the quarter, they systematically moved down the field on nine plays, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown plunge by quarterback John Toppa.

Toppa carried the ball twice on the drive, while fullback Shane Olson carried twice. Lee Moses carried twice as well – including rushing for 21 yards on a key third-and-8 play – and Trevor Lawton made two catches for 18 yards.

For Hendricken, it was a perfect use of its many weapons. La Salle couldn’t accommodate for everybody.

“The first drive was big,” said Hendricken coach Keith Croft. “We’ve got to play defense, and fortunately we did. We had to score, and we did. We just rode the momentum.”

The Hawks’ touchdown and ensuing Andrew Flint extra point made it 19-7, before La Salle took over on its own 32-yard line.

Once again, Hendricken didn’t move an inch. The Rams gained two yards on first down, lost two on second down, and threw incomplete on third down. That set up another punt.

With a two-score lead and the ball for the first time all game, Hendricken went on a demoralizing drive, ending with an even more demoralizing touchdown.

Toppa hit Lawton on a 25-yard fade pass to the right side for the score on a fourth-and-6 play. The Rams were one play from getting the ball back, yet instead surrendered the touchdown and saw their title hopes evaporate instantly.

Lawton had two catches on the drive, while Toppa, Kanga and Moses all carried the ball as part of the eight-play march down the field.

“We were right there with them,” said senior John Arruda. “Battling, but small mistakes is what cost us in the regular season. That’s what kept it such a close game in the first half. But we were really able to capitalize on their mistakes and eliminate ours.”

With 14:36 still left in the game, Hendricken’s defense held strong one final time in the third quarter, as the Rams went five yards backwards in three plays before punting again.

Overall, La Salle had minus-one yard in the quarter, and didn’t gain a first down. It ran just nine offensive plays.

"They’ve been underrated all year,” Croft said. “A great defense is usually a great offense and we had a great offense today."

Hendricken had 121 yards of offense on just two drives, while picking up seven first downs.

“I think our defense was huge today,” Croft said. “They’ve been a little underrated all year. Coach Green does a great job with them, and Coach Pantaleo does a great job with the offense. Everyone was ready to play today.”

The Hawks didn’t exactly slow down in the fourth quarter, as La Salle still turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, punted on the following one and then turned the ball over on downs once again.

But, it was the team’s overall third-quarter dominance that paved the way.

“It might have been one of the halftimes where we said the least amount of stuff,” Croft said. “I pretty much just said, ‘Guys, they’re a second-half team. They’ve been a second-half team all year. You know they’re going to play better in the second half.’”

Hendricken never gave La Salle a chance to play better. It was all Hawks.

Comments

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  • BuyChampionships

    Congrats! The sky is the limit when you're a private school that grabs the best from all over the state!

    Tuesday, December 9, 2014 Report this

  • jfraser

    Agreed, and I'm a Hendricken graduate.

    Tuesday, December 9, 2014 Report this

  • Waprovencal

    Isn't LaSalle a private school? LaSalle did beat Hendricken during the regular season. I have spoken with people in the Hendricken administration and they do not go out and grab the best from the state. Hawks class of '86.

    Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Report this

  • JohnStark

    "...grabs the best..."?? Hendricken doesn't "grab" anyone. The school fields teams comprised of kids who want to be at Hendricken. Ditto LaSalle. And ditto, presumably, every other school in the state. Curiously, these predictable whines are not seen when a Hendricken team has a losing season. Hence, it's really not about "grabbing", but rather about winning. I must have missed the complaint about Prout's indoor track team, which also has the ability to "...grab the best from all over the state!" In the days when administrators at RI's public high schools cared about athletics, none of this was ever an issue.

    Wednesday, December 10, 2014 Report this

  • BuyChampionships

    Come on now John - you really believe that?! I bet some are nicely "asked" to attend. Hell, I know some of them!

    Tuesday, December 23, 2014 Report this

  • BuyChampionships

    Oh and I forgot to sign off - Hawks class of 88. Back then we didn't recruit or ask nicely...times have changed.

    Tuesday, December 23, 2014 Report this