Late mistake spoils HHS football comeback

Franklin escapes with wild victory

By: Rudy Brandl
   It looked like the Hillsborough High football team was on its way to a hard-fought comeback victory last Friday night at Noonan Field.
   Then disaster struck.
   Franklin recovered a fumble with 2:17 remaining while the Raiders were trying to run out the clock and preserve a 14-11 lead. Two plays later, Warrior quarterback Mike Yackanin connected with speedy wide receiver Joe Porter for a 57-yard scoring play and the visitors strutted out of town with an 18-14 victory.
   "We busted a coverage," Hillsborough head coach Rick Mantz said moments after his team fell to 0-3. "We can’t make key mistakes like that late in the game. We just can’t put people away. We’re still an immature football team."
   The Raiders, who were blown out in their first two games and played poorly in the first half of Friday’s game, showed some fire and determination in the second half to erase an 11-0 deficit. They still could have won the game but confusion in the secondary allowed a wide-open Porter to stroll into the end zone for the winning touchdown.
   "It’s what we call a smash special," Franklin head coach Joe Goerge said. "It’s a little crossing route with the receivers. Sal (Davis) and Joe crossed and obviously a guy like Sal draws a lot of attention so they went with Sal. Joe snuck under and crossed and had the right touch on it."
   Hillsborough did a good job containing Davis, Franklin’s most dangerous weapon. Davis only rushed for 30 yards and caught one short pass for three yards. Unfortunately, the Raiders didn’t cover Porter at a crucial time and the Warriors took advantage.
   While Davis didn’t make a major impact on the game, Yackanin sure did. The Franklin signal-caller led the team with 80 rushing yards and the game’s first touchdown. He also completed 7-of-12 passes for 98 yards, ran in a two-point conversion and kicked an extra point. Yackanin put his personal exclamation point on the victory by sealing the win with an interception with seven seconds to play.
   HHS quarterback Colin Bruno started to move the Raiders down the field as the clock ticked down. Bruno ran for 12 yards and completed passes to Kristian Molloy and Danny Phillips to advance to the Franklin 36. He tried to find Molloy down the right sideline but Yackanin stepped up and picked off the pass.
   The loss spoiled an exciting second half comeback bid by the Raiders, who put a dramatic flavor on a game that was relatively dull early. Steve Hess jump-started the momentum with an electrifying 94-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter. That play gave the Raiders hope entering the fourth period.
   "I’m proud of the kids for the way they battled back," Mantz said. "We showed some toughness in the second half and made some plays to get back in the game."
   Hillsborough took the lead with a clutch drive midway through the final quarter. Once again, a big running play ignited the surge.
   Phillips broke free for his biggest play of the year, erasing a fourth down situation with a 51-yard sprint down the right sideline. Phillips beat the defensive pursuit to the outside and raced down the sideline before Porter bumped him out of bounds at the 7-yard line.
   Two plays later, Devin Powell stormed up the middle through a big hole and scored his first touchdown on an eight-yard run. Powell also ran in for the two-point conversion and the Raiders had their first lead of the game with 4:02 remaining.
   That 14-11 lead appeared to be safe when Hess picked off Yackanin’s pass inside Franklin territory at the 43 with 3:48 showing on the game clock. But the Raiders gave the ball right back to the Warriors, who made one last big play to win the game.
   "These games are about making big plays," Goerge said. "They had two big plays and they were winning the ball game. It only takes a few big plays to win the game."
   Those big plays aren’t confined to long touchdown passes and big runs from scrimmage. Turnovers can be even more crucial and the Raiders committed four of them Friday night.
   "We’re still making too many mistakes," Mantz said. "We’ve got some guys with experience that have played quite a bit, so that’s frustrating. We can’t make mistakes like that and expect to win."
   EXTRA POINTS — Hess led the Raiders with 130 yards on 11 carries and scored his first touchdown of the season … Phillips finished with 72 yards on nine carries … the Raiders will go after their first win Friday night at Watchung Hills, which has lost two straight games in the Delaware Division after winning a non-conference opener vs. Parsippany … Hillsborough only has one more home game on its 2001 schedule, hosting Bridgewater-Raritan on Oct. 12.