The seventh ranked and undefeated Hobart Statesmen hosted the Old Dominion Athletic Conference champion Washington and Lee Saturday at Boswell Field. The 8-2 Generals looked nothing like an underdog, going toe to toe with the Statesmen for most of the first half. The Generals got on the board first, taking their opening drive 70 yards in 11 plays, capping it with a two yard SR RB Luke Heinsohn touchdown run. Heinsohn would add the point after and Washington and Lee took an early 7-0 lead.
The Liberty League champions would respond with a similar effort, travelling 66 yards, capping their first drive with a JR RB Steven Webb one yard rush for a touchdown. The FY PK James Hull point after was good and the Statesmen tied the game 7-7 with 3:09 to play in the first quarter. Hobart would take their first lead thanks to a key third down stop by LL Defensive Player of the Year SO DE Tyre Coleman. Coleman tackled Generals JR QB Nick Lombardo for a five yard loss and a 24 yard Jake Helton punt set up SR QB Nick Strang and the Statesmen offense at their own 44 yard line.
A key play would be Strang finding SR WR Junior Woodard for 16 yards to the Washington and Lee 37 yard line. Hobart would call six consecutive running plays until another pass to Woodard gave the Statesmen the ball at the General five yard line. Webb would pick up the first down on third and two setting up the go ahead touchdown by SR RB Bobby Dougherty.
The Hull extra point was good and Hobart took a 14-7 advantage. This lead would be short lived however as the Washington and Lee’s number one ranked rushing offense got back to work. The Generals marched 49 yards until they called a timeout with 5:46 to play in the half. Washington and Lee's Brett Murray broke off a 26 yard run, giving the Generals a first and goal from the Hobart seven yard line. Two plays later Lombardo called his own number capping the 73 yard drive with a touchdown. The Heinsohn point after was good and the game was tied with 4:32 to play in first half.
Hobart would get a final possession before halftime and they made the most of the opportunity. Webb and Strang ripped off runs of 15 and 17 yards before reverting to short pass and run plays as the Generals' defense tighened. Still, the Statesmen found themselves with a big decision on fourth and one on the Washington and Lee six yard line. Coming out of a timeout with only 27 seconds to go, Head Coach Mike Cragg lived up to his “riverboat gambler” nickname calling a quarterback sneak which was good for the first down at the General four yard line.
Strang’s first down pass intended for Woodard would fall incomplete and on second down he’d carry the ball to the Washington and Lee one yard line setting up a third and goal. Washington and Lee called a time out with 13 seconds to go after seeing the Statesmen’s offensive formation. Strang tried Woodard a second time but against missed his mark. Cragg decided to go for it and Webb had his second TD of the game. The Hull point after would be good giving Hobart a 21-14 halftime lead.
The Statesmen would extend their lead on a 25 yard Hull field goal to open the second half. The drive would stall at the General eight yard line but it would consume seven and a half minutes and give Hobart a two possession lead.
Washington and Lee would look to respond but Hobart JR and SO OLBs Devin Worthington and Nolan Toran would stop Murray on fourth down giving the Statesmen offense the ball at their own 47 yard line. Hobart made the most of the opportunity driving 53 yards in 18 plays, capping the drive with this Webb’s third TD of the game and, after the Hull point after, give the Statesmen a commanding 31-14 lead with 14:31 to play in the game. The Generals would respond with a touchdown off a nine yard Lombardo pass to Eli Chester with 10:20 to go but the point after would fail, cutting Hobart’s lead to 31-20 with 10:20 to go.
Strang would be stopped on fourth and three from the Washington and Lee 15 yard line, giving the visitors another chance. The General rally would be short lived however as Tolan came up with an interception to halt the Washington and Lee drive.
The Statesmen would look to ice the game taking over at the General 24 yard line but the Generals' defense would hold once again, forcing Coach Cragg to make another fourth and one decision. Not surprisingly, Cragg went for it yet again, this time with a better result; a 15 yard Strang TD run capped a seven play, 24 yard drive and pushed Hobart’s lead to 38-20 with 3:08 to go. The Statesmen defense would hold, and the offense would kneel on the ball to capture a hard fought 38-20 playoff victory, Hobart’s fifth consecutive home playoff win.
The Statesmen were lead by Webb with 99 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Defensively the Statesmen held the Generals’ number one rushing attack to a season low 188 yards and were lead by SR LB Andrew Klindera with 11 tackles, a season high for the Hobart co-captain.
Washington and Lee was lead by Heinsohn with a team high 85 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Generals were lead on defense by linebackers Stephen Peck and Jake Pelton with a game high 19 tackles a piece.
With the win Hobart improves to 11-0 and will host North Coast Athletic Conference Champion Wittenberg who came back down 18 points, twice and on the road no less, to defeat Heidlelberg 52-38 in the first round. The loss drops the Generals to 8-3 in their second playoff appearance in the last three seasons.
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