Canon-McMillan holds on to early lead through downpour

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 21, 2018 | 11:18 PM

The rain held off in the first half, but Canon-McMillan’s offense finally showed up to play.

Having scored a total of 59 points last year, the Big Macs (1-3, 1-3 Class 6A) nearly reached half that total with they put up 20 points before halftime with a balanced attack, and they held on for a 20-14 win over Hempfield (1-4, 0-4).

Senior John O’Hare rumbled for more than 100 yards in the first quarter, and it set up the Jon Quinque and Drew Engel show in the second. Quinque hit Engel for a 53-yard touchdown on a screen for the go-ahead score and again before the half on a 13-yard throw to put the Big Macs up 20-6 at halftime.

O’Hare finished with 191 yards and a touchdown, and Engel had all five of his receptions for 100 yards for two touchdowns before halftime.

“We had a plan to come out throwing,” Canon-McMillan coach Mike Evans said. “Then we threw a pick on the first drive, and we’ve got O’Hare, who’s been running for 150 to 175 a game. He was fortunate to hit a couple, and he got out early a little bit.”

Quinque’s first pass was an interception by cornerback Nathan Roby, who stood out for the Spartans on offense and defense. Roby had a critical pass defensed in the Hempfield end zone on fourth down to keep Hempfield alive in addition to his 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s a good back … I think we’re developing two very good running backs,” Hempfield coach Rich Bowen said of Roby and sophomore tailback Mario Perkins.

“We’re a young football team. We just have to stick together and grind out and win some games this year, which I think we will.”

Hempfield’s lack of a kicking game cost it, as it went for a fourth-and-goal at the 3 and could not convert. The Spartans had to go for it again on the 18 before halftime. They missed an extra point, as well, and a blocked punt left the defense pinned deep in its own end.

As the rain began to pour in the middle of the third, Hempfield came alive. Quarterback Blake Remaley completed two key throws in a torrential downpour, and Roby finished with a 37-yard run to pull the Spartans within six.

The teams traded turnovers as Roby fumbled a Canon-McMillan punt before Hempfield lost a fumble in the backfield. The string of turnovers left the Big Macs on edge, and the defense bent, eventually allowing Hempfield to drive to the 25-yard line with less than a minute left. But it clamped down on a Remaley fourth-down prayer for the win.

“I was just proud of the way we stood out in the end there,” Evans said. “That’s a good team over there. I don’t think we were an 0-3 football team, and I don’t think that’s an 0-3 football team.”

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Hempfield