Hawks conquer the Bulldogs in 18-14 victory
It wasn’t that long ago that the Hanahan High School football team barely had a pulse, losing three of its first four games to begin the 2018 season.
But first-year coach David Morbitzer kept the team focused. He stressed improvement each week and the team has responded with a three-game winning streak after Friday’s 18-14 victory over Georgetown.
The team turned it around after a bumpy start and finally had some success. Talk of reaching the playoffs was more than just idle. Now, fast forward to this weekend and the Hawks go for all the Region 8-AAA marbles when they battle Manning in a monumental showdown.
Hanahan, which will play in the friendly confines of Wiley Knight Stadium, enters with a three-game winning streak. The Hawks are 4-3, including 3-0 in the region. Manning is 6-2, 3-0 and is riding a five-game winning streak.
“Manning is a very athletic team,” Morbitzer said. “They present a lot of different fronts, a lot of different blitzes. They have a lot of packages.”
The Hawks topped Georgetown to set up the showdown, and once again the defense provided an excellent effort. The Hawks picked off nine passes in the win over Academic Magnet and followed that effort, forcing two turnovers and a safety against the Bulldogs.
The Hawks allowed 127 points in their first four games, but only 21 in during their three-game surge.
“The defense did a great job,” Morbitzer said. “We played well. The front played out of their minds. They did a great job.”
The Hawks had only 145 yards in total offense, but it was enough to record the win. The Hawks will go up against a Manning defense that allows only 8.2 points a game.
“That’s an area we are working to clear up a couple of things,” Morbitzer said of his team’s struggle to move the ball. “We definitely will focus on that during practice this week.”
Gale Ball carried 17 times for 51 yards and Shiron Hart tallied 33 yards on 13 carries. He scored on runs of 2 yards.
Quarterback Mac Blakeney was 2 of 11 passing for 51 yards and threw a 6-yard TD pass to Chris Wright.
Luke Litwin kicked a 42-yard field goal to lead the special teams.
“The team has rallied,” Morbitzer said. “We had a meeting with the seniors and we talked about legacy and getting back to winning region championships. Now, the team’s confidence is high. With success, they believe they can win football games. That’s something I’ve stressed since Day 1.”
The Hawks should have one playoff game and a region championship would be at home through the Lower State championship.
“Getting that first home game in the playoffs is huge,” Morbitzer said. “We play well at home. Hopefully, after this week, we will be at home for more than just one game.”