Tag Archive for: Hubbard

EAGLES DOMINATION OF NILES CONTINUES

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HUBBARD, Ohio –

Niles started off throwing their best punch right to the chops of Hubbard much like they did a year ago at Bo Rein. After forcing a three and out on the Eagles’ opening drive of the night, a great return from Nathan Coots set the Red Dragons up with just 9 yards to pay dirt. After four straight gives to Antuan Gardner, the Niles star would finally find the endzone on his final attempt from two yards out to give the Dragons an early lead.

The two teams would swap three and outs before the Eagles would get the ball back at their own 15. Hubbard would march the ball down the field for their opening score with just over half of the second quarter clock remaining.

Hubbard’s defense would force a three and out on the ensuing Niles drive and get the ball back right around midfield. Fives plays later and the Eagles would take their first lead of the ballgame, one they’d never relinquish.

In a 2022 season filled with offensive woes for the Hubbard Eagles (6-3), the boys in blue topped 30 points for the first time all season in their 37-20 victory, a feat they accomplished 7 times just a year ago. One of the biggest proponents of the Eagles newfound success was a massive wrinkle thrown into the offense this week, scrapping the whole thing. Abandoning the wing-T and reverting to the more traditional Hoffman spread ground and pound with short passes off the run game, the Eagles were able to open the field and move the ball at will.

Although Hubbard’s offense was the main story of the night, the Eagles’ defensive effort shall not fall on deaf ears. The Hubbard defense held Niles to just 125 total yards and -12 rushing yards on 15 attempts, bottling up Gardner to -14 on the ground.

DUAL-THREAT HENDRIX

With the Eagles transitioning back into the spread, the offense has opened to allow for Hubbard’s senior signal caller, Nik Hendrix, to produce more with his legs. Hendrix tallied his highest rush total of the season with 70 yards, while also throwing for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 attempts. Hendrix also came up with an interception on the defensive side. As the Eagles head into next week against a vaunted South Range defense and into the postseason, look for Hendrix to continue to be more of a threat on the ground in addition to his talented arm.

THE STREAK

Hubbard’s 37-20 victory earned the Eagles their 16th straight victory over Niles in the series matchup. Head coach Brian Hoffman has never lost to the Red Dragons, holding a perfect 15-0record. Niles’ last victory over Hubbard came in 1995.

BIG PERFORMERS

HUBBARD: (3 penalties, 20 yards)

Nik Hendrix: 147 passing yards, 2 TDs, 70 rushing yards, 1 defensive INT

Garland Warren: 14 carries, 72 yards, 2 catches, 36 yards, 2 total TDs

Ben Wilcox: 80 total yards, 1 rushing TD

NILES: (9 penalties, 65 yards)

Nathan Coots: 1/1 26 passing yards, 4 catches 41 yards, 2 total TDs

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

HUBBARD:

Thanks to their win over the Red Dragons, Hubbard has nearly secured their spot in the 2022 postseason. The victory bumped them up a few spots in the rankings and leaves them with a chance of grabbing a home game with a win over the South Range Raiders in week 10.

NILES:

Falling to the Eagles for their 7th loss of the season, the Red Dragons have been eliminated from playoff contention.

UP NEXT

Hubbard: Looking to ride the momentum of their win over the Red Dragons, the Eagles will play host next week to the top dogs of the NE8, the South Range Raiders (9-0). The Raiders hold the third longest regular season win streak in the state at 29 games, while the Eagles hold a 12-game winning streak at Hubbard Memorial Stadium. Hubbard’s last home loss came October 2nd of 2020, to none other than South Range.

Niles: Their postseason dreams now crushed after their loss to the Eagles, the Red Dragons will remain on the road and head to Arrowhead to take on the Girard Indians (6-3). Since 2004, these two teams have split their 18 matchups right down the middle at 9 apiece.

 

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson

HUBBARD AND MOONEY COME TOGETHER FOR MORE THAN A GAME

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HUBBARD OH- It was a special night in Hubbard as the Eagles community along with Mooney’s came together to remember fallen members of both communities. Jillian Marian a Hubbard teach, and Mark Pelini a 2010 Mooney graduate, and assistant coach on the football team both passed away in a car accident last weekend. The week was hard on both schools as students and faculty alike grappled with the new reality. But tragedy can bring great things about, and on this night both Mooney and Hubbard showed just how strong people can be when they come together. The gym was packed, as stories and memories were shared from both sides about the departed beloved. On this night, it was way more than just a game.

After all was said and done, there was still volleyball to be played. Hubbard started the last week of the regular season off with a win in 4 sets over Mooney (25-16 21-25 25-23 25-16)

Aubrey Panigall won Player of the Game and led the Eagles with 15 kills. Peytyn Slovesko chipped in an impressive 13 kills as well as 4 blocks.  The Eagles served up 6 aces as a team.

Mooney was led by Maria Fire who had 12 kills on the night. Jada Lane, and Amarra Anderson both added 6 kills to the cause.  Addison Stacy played inspired volleyball all night and had multiple highlight saves to go along with her sets.

Hubbard still has to finish out NE8 play on Wednesday as they host Niles. Mooney returns to action on Tuesday with round 2 of the Holy War at home. Mooney won the first matchup at Ursuline in 4 sets.

GIRARD PUTS THEIR FOOT DOWN

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GIRARD, Ohio –

Stephen Sims accounted for 368 total yards and five touchdowns as the Girard Indians (6-2) dominated the Hubbard Eagles (5-3) in a 42-14 routing at Arrowhead. Michael Palmer added a touchdown himself and over 100 total yards of offense.

Girard used their speed to score touchdowns on four of their first five possessions. While Hubbard was blanked in the first half, they found early success on the offense side to open the second with back-to-back scoring drives, but couldn’t find a solution to the Indians offense, who would score on all three of their second half possessions.

SIMS STOCK

After senior quarterback Nic Bengala went down with an injury, the Girard Indians were faced with a question of how sophomore Stephen Sims would be able step in and lead the Indians offense.

After struggling last week against the Poland Bulldogs, Sims’ statement night has put to rest any questions surrounding the electric dual-threat signal caller. Sims completed passes at a 61% clip for 164 yards and a score while gashing the Hubbard defense with his legs on 10 carries for 185 yards and 3 touchdowns, adding in an 11-yardtouchdown reception to cap it all off.

BIG PERFORMERS

GIRARD: (13 penalties, 115 yards)

Stephen Sims: 368 total yards, 3 rushing TDs, 1 passing TD, 1 receiving TD

Michael Palmer: 14 carries, 93 yards, 1 catch, 15yards, 1 rushing TD

Anthony Bengala: 3 catches, 53 yards

HUBBARD: (3 penalties, 25 yards)

Nik Hendrix: 65 passing yards, 1 INT, 2 total TDs

Ben Wilcox: 20 carries, 92 yards

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

GIRARD:

With their commanding victory over the Hubbard Eagles, Girard has at least clinched a spot in the postseason and are almost a lock for a home playoff game.

HUBBARD:

Still without a victory over a team with a winning record, the Eagles have left themselves with work to do over the closing weeks of the season. Coach Hoffman’s squad needed a victory over Girard and one other in the next two weeks to have a legitimate chance at securing a home playoff game, now the birds will be fighting to even secure their spot in the dance.

UP NEXT

Girard: After bouncing back in a huge way against the Eagles, Girard will hit this coming Friday to take on the surging Struthers Wildcats (4-4). After dropping four in a row, the Cats have rallied off three straight wins over Lakeview, Jefferson, and Niles.

Hubbard: Looking to remain perfect at home and secure a spot in the playoffs, the Hubbard Eagles will play host to the Niles Red Dragons (2-6) Friday the 14th. During Coach Hoffman’s tenure as the Eagles head coach, Hubbard holds an unblemished 14-0 record against Niles.

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson

WILCOX HAS THE WILL TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS

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HUBBARD OH- Coming in to 2022 a lot of the football “experts” around the area weren’t giving Hubbard too much of a chance to do much.  They graduated TC Caffey who accounted for about 85% of the offense from a year ago. However senior Ben Wilcox would not let his teammates listen to the noise. This Eagles team just went to work despite what people were saying.  To no one’s surprise inside the building, and to many’s surprise outside the building the Eagles have put together a fine season to this point.  They’ve done it with lock down defense, and clutch offense. Ben Wilcox has been a fantastic leader for his team. He has been in the thick of the program and understands the standards of success it has. He has been able to mirror that to his teammates. His senior leadership has been a rock to the locker room, and his importance to the team’s success goes way beyond the numbers he puts up.

Lets look at those numbers he’s putting up this year for the Eagles.  He has gained 524 yards on the ground on 120 carries.  That’s an average of 4.5 yards per touch.  He has found the end zone 3 times. His longest run of the season is a 54 harder.  Wilcox is also a good defender for this Eagles team that has leaned on their ability to stop teams when it counts.  He is second the team with 54 tackles.

Wilcox took the time to sit with Anthony Hartwig this week and talk about his senior season. They discuss proving people wrong, what their keys to victory have been, and so much more. Check out the latest Hubbard Football Player Profile only on YSN!

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HUBBARD DEFENSE UP FOR THE TASK

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HUBBARD, Ohio – Nik Hendrix threw two touchdown passes, and both top backs would add 50-yard games as the Hubbard Eagles (5-2) blanked the Lakeview Bulldogs (3-4) in their 22-0 win on Homecoming night. Ben Wilcox and Xzander Owens each caught a touchdown pass, and Garland Warren rushed for another.

The Eagles would start their opening drive at their own 36 yard-line but took no time at all to get into Lakeview territory, picking up gains of twenty-five and fourteen on their first two plays from scrimmage. Five plays later and the Eagles would take a lead that they would never relinquish.

The teams would trade scoreless drives throughout the remainder of the first half, sending the game into the break 7-0. A scoreless opening drive for Hubbard and a beautiful punt to pin the Bulldogs at their own two yard-line would turn into a safety for the Eagles defense on Lakeview’s first play from scrimmage in the second half.

Hubbard would fail to convert on their extra possession, turning the ball over on downs at the Bulldog 4, but after forcing a three and out, the Birds would move the ball down the field and into the redzone again before Garland Warren would find paydirt from nine yards out.

Lakeview had no answer offensively tonight, turning the ball over on four separate occasions, their second to last setting the Eagles up for their final score of the night, on a Hendrix to Owens connection from twenty-one yards out.

WARREN WATCH

Garland Warren’s nine-yard touchdown rumble was the first of his varsity career. The 5 foot 11, 190-pound junior has seen a ramp up in touches since the start of the season. Warren’s nine carries was his second highest total of the year, while his fifty-five-yard game marks his career high. The bruiser has all the makings of a traditional Hubbard bell cow, something to keep an eye on as we head into the closing weeks of the season.

BIG PERFORMERS

HUBBARD: (13 penalties, 130 yards)

Nik Hendrix: 9-17, 164 yards, 2 TDs, 6 carries, 61 yards

Ben Wilcox: 15 carries, 62 yards, 2 catches, 26 yards, 1 TD, 3 defensive INTs

Garland Warren: 9 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD

Xzander Owens: 5 carries, 25 yards, 2 catches, 27 yards, 1 TD

LAKEVIEW: (1 penalty, 5 yards)

Boom Gillis: 3/13, 25 yards, 3 INTs, 12 carries, 16 yards

Andrew Brown: 2 catches, 26 yards

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

The Hubbard win is their fifth of the season over a team with a losing record. With a strong strength of schedule staring down four of those five victories, the Eagles are in almost a must win scenario against the Girard Indians if they are to hope for a home playoff game. A surging Struthers team may help the Eagles as well.

With three games left to play, the Bulldogs are faced with three tough challenges on their schedule. A win over one of the top teams in the conference will leave the Bulldogs with a chance to make the postseason for the first time since 2017.

UP NEXT

Hubbard: Following their first shutout since week 5 of last season, the Eagles will look to bring the same defensive prowess against the vaunted Girard offense. Pat Pearson and the Girard Indians (5-2) will host the Eagles on a two-gamelosing streak after winning their first five matchups by a combined total of 159 points.

Lakeview: Dropping their third game in a row, the Bulldogs are sub .500 for the first time this season, and the road doesn’t get any easier. Tom Pavlansky will make his return to Cortland with his Poland Bulldogs (4-3) this coming Friday, before Lakeview will end the season on the road inSouth Range (7-0), then at home against Jefferson (5-2).

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson.

SALEM LEAVES THE EAGLES GROUNDED

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SALEM OH- The Quakers made a dramatic return to non conference play on Thursday as they took down Hubbard at home 6-1.

Abbie Davidson led the Quakers offense with a pair goals put in the back of the net.  Chloe Wilhelm, Mikaylynn Murphy, Rylee Hutton, and Lauryn Barton all added goals for the Quakers offense.  On the assist side, Davidson grabbed one, along with Hutton. Hanna Gaithers earned an assist as well. Kaylee Carlisle put up a solid performance in the net totaling in 2 saves.

The Quakers record improves to 11-2 (4-0) now on the season. They will return to EBC play on Wednesday as they host West Branch.

RAIDERS SNEAK PAST HUBBARD

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CANFIEKD OH- South Range came in to Tuesday night needing to gather momentum in to the second half of the season. They took a big home victory over Hubbard in four sets. (25-23 24-26 25-22 25-21)

Maria Primavera had a monster day going for a double double with 17 kills, and 18 digs.  Jamie Feren also notched a double double with 20 assists, and 18 digs.  Gianna Pasquale led the Raiders defense with an impressive 26 digs.

Peyton Slovesko led the Eagles with 11 kills on the night. Alyssa Gregory flexed her defensive muscles with a match-high 38 digs.  Jade Shattuck managed 21 assists as well for Hubbard.

South Range has a trip to Girard on the horizon to test their skills. Hubbard also hits the road as they travel to Niles.

FALCONS CONTINUE TO FLY HIGH

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JEFFERSON, Ohio –

Since the first meeting between the Jefferson Falcons (5-1) and Hubbard Eagles (4-2) in 2010, Hubbard has dominated the series 8-1, all while outscoring the Falcons by a total of 369-157.

Jefferson’s struggles against not only the Eagles, but the NE8 conference is known no better than the Falcons themselves, and they came into the night with something to prove. After forcing Hubbard to punt to open the ballgame, the Falcons would march down the field and get on the board first thanks to a Kaige Baczar two-yardtouchdown run.

Both teams would trade turnovers before Hubbard would fail to convert in the red zone, giving it back over to the Falcons on downs. Just two plays later, the Hubbard defense would come up with its second turnover of the night, setting the offense up in plus territory. Penalties would go on to kill the Hubbard drive, wiping a touchdown off the board for the Eagles that would have knotted things up.

Seven plays later and the Jefferson offense would take a two-possession lead courtesy of a five-yard Grant Hitchcock pass to Trent Hodge with less than six minutes to play in the opening half.

The Hubbard offense would again excel at moving the ball in between the twenty’s but once more stall out in the redzone, sending the Falcons into the locker room with a 13-0 lead.

Starting the second half with the ball, the Falcons continued to roll with a six play, three-and-a-half-minute drive that was capped off with the second edition of Hitchcock to Hodge this time from forty-six yards out. The teams would trade scoreless possessions before the Eagles were able to move the ball down into the redzone once more and finally cap things off with a Nik Hendrix one-yard quarterback sneak for their first score of the night.

Just as the Eagles finally looked to have gained some momentum, the Falcons star in Hitchcock would account for his third touchdown of the night on the very next play from scrimmage. The versatile Falcon quarterback would take the snap alone in the shotgun, busting through the line and reversing field enroute to a seventy-one-yard touchdown run.

While the Eagles were able to score once more in the ballgame on a Ben Wilcox two-yard touchdown run, Jefferson would respond with a scoreless but long sustained drive, giving the Eagles virtually no chance trailing by two scores. The Falcons would grab their second conference victory of the season, 25-13.

BIG PERFORMERS

JEFFERSON:

Grant Hitchcok: 10-15 passing, 306 total yards, 3 total TDs

Trent Hodge: 10 catches, 126 yards, 2 TDs

HUBBARD:

Ben Wilcox: 23 rushing yards, 1 TD

Mason Hodge: 3 catches, 88 receiving yards

UP NEXT

Jefferson: Carrying the momentum of back-to-back victories, the Jefferson Falcons will make the trip south to Mahoning County to take on the Struthers Wildcats (2-4) who are fresh off a big 41-3 victory over Lakeview.

Hubbard: Losing to Jefferson for the first time since 2011, the Eagles will head home and look to rebound with another team they’ve dominated in recent history, the Lakeview Bulldogs (3-3). Hubbard has won the last four games against the Bulldogs by an average of 36.5 points. Lakeview head coach Sam Bellino, former Hubbard standout and assistant coach, will make his return to Hubbard Memorial Stadium for the first time since taking the job in Cortland.

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson

EAGLES SPREAD THEIR WINGS IN OVERTIME

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HUBBARD, Ohio – In a matchup dating back to 1916, the Hubbard Eagles (4-1) played host to the Struthers Wildcats (1-4) in an NE8 Conference matchup. Both teams entered the night coming off loses to start conference play, the Wildcats a 13-23 defeat to the defensing champion South Range Raiders, while Hubbard saw themselves lose a second half lead to the Poland Bulldogs 21-28.

The Hubbard offense seemed to have picked up where it last left off in Poland, on a bad note. Of the Eagles five first half possession, the boys in blue were forced to punt four times with two three-and-outs. The only score of the first half would come from a Struthers punt return by senior Alec Grzyb from fifty-two-yards out.

After forcing the Wildcats to go three-and-out to open the second half, the Hubbard offense finally showed signs of life. Starting their initial drive of the second half at their own twenty-nine-yardline, the Eagles would chew up over seven and a half minutes of the third quarter clock. The fifteen play, seventy-one-yard drive would be capped by a Ben Wilcox touchdown run from two yards out, giving Hubbard their first lead of the night, 7-6.

The ensuing Struthers drive would see the Wildcats go for and convert on fourth down at the Hubbard thirty-five-yard line before turning the ball over on downs just four plays later at the Hubbard twenty-four. Five plays later with the Eagles driving, senior quarterback, Nik Hendrix, would find Xander Owens out of the backfield for a nineteen-yard gain before Struthers’ sophomore linebacker, Devin Braham, would rip the ball away from Owens to force a turnover.

Despite the shift in momentum, the Wildcats would make a few mistakes on their next drive and would again have to punt the ball away. After a poor punt would give Hubbard possession at their own forty, Wilcox would take the handoff on the first play of the drive fifty yards into Wildcats territory. Just two plays later, Wilcox would find pay dirt from one yard out for his second touchdown of the night and extend the Hubbard lead to 8.

Struthers needed little to no time to strike back. On just the second play of the ensuing drive Na’jier Howard would connect with Nico Farina twenty-two yards down the middle of the field, and Farina would do the rest with his legs for a sixty four yard touchdown. The Wildcats would go for two and convert on an Alec Grzyb to Chaz Ekoniak connection, knotting things up at 14.

Hubbard would set themselves up with great field positioning thanks to a fifty-five-yard Royal McConahy kick return. The Eagles would pick up a first down, before stalling out and leaving their freshman kicker with a thirty-five-yard field goal to win the game. Unfortunately for the young special teamer, a low snap never gave the Eagles a chance to walk it off in regulation as the kick would be blocked.

Heading into the first overtime series, Hubbard would start with the ball first. The Eagles needed just three plays to strike first in OT, Hendrix would find fellow senior tight end Mason Hodge from fifteen yards out. Struthers would fail to pick up a first down on their ensuing possession, their shot to the endzone on fourth and five would be hauled in but the receiver was out of bounds.

BIG PERFORMERS

HUBBARD:

Ben Wilcox: 20 carries, 104 rushing yards, 2 TDs

Nik Hendrix: 6-12 passing, 73 yards, 1 TD

Mason Hodge: 1 catch, 15 yards, 1 TD

STRUTHERS:

Alec Grzyb: 56 passing yards, 33 rushing yards, 52-yard punt return TD

Na’jier Howard: 5-8 passing, 79 yards, 1 TD

UP NEXT

Hubbard: Following their first overtime victory since 2019, the Hubbard Eagles will hit the road for a huge test against the Jefferson Falcons (4-1). These two programs have faced off nine times in their history, the first coming in 2010. Hubbard has won the past seven matchups in a row and lead the all-time series 8-1 outscoring the Falcons by a total of 356-132 in those games.

Struthers: After suffering their second overtime loss of the season, the Wildcats will now head home to play host to the Lakeview Bulldogs (3-2).Since 2009, Struthers leads the series 8-7 and have won the past four straight matchups by a combined 113 points.

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson

POLAND PROTECTS THEIR HOME

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POLAND OH- Hubbard traveled to Poland to face the Bulldogs in the opening game of the NE8 conference trying to stay undefeated. The Bulldogs would change the Eagles plans. Costly penalties by Hubbard and tough defense from Poland would propel the Bulldogs to victory. Running Back Danny Nittoli would score twice in tonight’s game. Poland wins 28-21

Hubbard got on the scroeboard first with a 1 yard touchdown run by Ben Wilcox making the game 6-0. The Bulldogs retook the lead with a touchdown pass by JP Genova making the game 7-6. The lead would change a total of 5 times in the first. The Eagles would go into the locker room, 21-14.

The Bulldogs came back in the second half. Playing tough defense the rest of the game allowing Genova to find Nittoli for a 46 yard touchdown pass to tie it up. Nittoli would seal Bulldog victory in the Fourth quarter. With a 2 yard touchdown run by Nittoli, Poland wins 28-21. Poland (2-2) will travel to South Range while Hubbard (3-1) will host Struthers. Catch all the games on YSNLIVE.com.

*Contributed By YSN’s Anthony Melone