Hawks rout Eagles in D-I quarterfinals

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 11/15/16

No Kwity Paye? No problem.

That is, for now.

With Paye sidelined as a precaution after enduring a concussion against La Salle, Hendricken took care of business in its quarterfinal matchup …

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Hawks rout Eagles in D-I quarterfinals

Posted

No Kwity Paye? No problem.

That is, for now.

With Paye sidelined as a precaution after enduring a concussion against La Salle, Hendricken took care of business in its quarterfinal matchup against Barrington on Friday night, racing out to a 34-0 lead by halftime in an eventual 41-0 triumph.

Chris Hindle tossed three touchdown passes in the first half, while Matt DiTondo caught a pair of touchdown passes out of the backfield and also rushed for another score in the opening two quarters.

With the comfortable lead by halftime, the Hawks, who were a bit banged up after the physical battle with the Rams, were able to sit their starters in the second half – a potential blessing in disguise with a semifinal matchup with Portsmouth looming this Friday.

Hendricken head coach Keith Croft also felt that it was good to get some backups in to experience playoff action. Injuries happen and those players need to be ready to play in the next two rounds.

“At this point of the year, you kind of want to get the starters clicking and playing together, but by the same token, something that we’ve learned in the playoffs is that guys may have to step up that aren’t starters,” Croft said. “It’s always good to get them some work.”

The Hawks put together a long drive that drained most of the first quarter, taking the ball deep into the Barrington red zone. However, a fumbled snap at the Barrington 5-yard line allowed the Eagles to take over and keep the game scoreless.

But, after the Hawks’ defense forced a quick three-and-out, the Hendricken offense capitalized right away, with Hindle finding Andrew Hopgood for a 35-yard score that gave the No. 1 seed out of Division I-A a 6-0 lead.

With 19 seconds left in the first quarter, Evan Storti recovered a Barrington fumble at the opposition’s 20. One play later, it was 13-0, as Hindle hit DiTondo with a short pass to the right sideline, and he powered his way into the end zone.

In the second quarter, Hendricken scored three touchdowns in a span of three minutes, 21 seconds.

DiTondo rushed in from five yards out with 8:22 to go in the half. And, after Nathaniel Sarfo recovered another Barrington fumble, Hindle scrambled and found a wide open DiTondo for an 8-yard touchdown, ballooning the lead to 27-0 with 5:48 left in the half.

Things went from bad to worse for the visiting Eagles 47 seconds later when a fumbled snap allowed Hendricken defensive end Jide Akinjisola to scoop the ball and sprint to the end zone to up the advantage to 34-0 going into the break.

The second half was far less eventful, polluted with constant penalty flags that disturbed offensive flow on both sides.

Senior running back Kurt Rousseau accounted for the lone touchdown in the second half, powering his way to pay dirt from six yards out with just 3:40 remaining in the game, pushing the already insurmountable lead out to 41-0.

The Hawks will now host Portsmouth, the No. 3 seed out of Division I-A, on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Patriots pulled off a mild upset in their quarterfinal game, downing No. 2 Cranston East, 35-22, at Cranston Stadium.

Hendricken handed Portsmouth by far its worst loss of the season back on Oct. 22, 54-14, but Croft is anticipating a much tougher test from the Patriots this time around.

“Absolutely,” Croft answered when asked if he was expecting to see something different from Portsmouth on Friday. “You can take that score and throw it out the window. We’re going to be ready to play, they’re going to be ready to play. We’ve always had historic playoff battles with them. I’m not expecting anything less.”

The Hawks and Patriots will kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday. The winner will take on the winner of La Salle and Central on Dec. 3 at 1 p.m. at Cranston Stadium in the Super Bowl.

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