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Varsity football wasn't supposed to be this simple.
Northeastern coach Brendan Brown said he was expecting a victory in the first varsity football game in school history Friday night, but an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Patrick Hilbert on the game's first play? A 29-point halftime lead? Keeping East Juniata off the scoreboard until 33 seconds left in the Bobcats' 36-7 debut victory?
Maybe in Brown's mind, but not in reality on the home field in front of a sellout crowd of 2,500.
"That's just about as good as I could have dreamed right there," Brown said. "In the best scenario that I envisioned it, this is how it went down. You can't ask for much more than that."
On Friday night, the Bobcats made history
Northeastern's Brian Hunter rushed for 56 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns on the ground, scoring a third on a 5-yard interception return in the fourth quarter. On the other side of the ball, a defense that had Brown worried going into the opener consistently penetrated the East Juniata front line and forced two turnovers and a safety.
"We knew going into the game that this was not a first-year team, and they've done it the right way," East Juniata coach Tom Feltman said. "Obviously, you're disappointed with the way the game started off."
Hilbert caught the East Juniata opening kickoff at the 20-yard-line, found a seam up the middle and ran all the way to the end zone untouched, launching the home crowd into hysteria.
"I bobbled it at first, but I got it, ran up, saw the hole and took it," Hilbert said. "Three of my guys were blocking out front, and I just took it."
The Bobcats forced the Tigers to punt near midfield on their first series and then put together an 11-play, 63-yard drive capped off by a 6-yard run from Hunter into the end zone for a 14-0 first quarter lead.
A botched fourth-down snap early in the second quarter led to a Northeastern safety on an East Juniata punt attempt, and Bobcats quarterback Roger Eaton delivered on third down during the next series with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Cody Santiago.
Less than 18 minutes into the game, the Bobcats led 22-0.
The Northeastern defense forced another three-and-out on the next series and delivered another touchdown from Hunter before halftime to secure a barely believable 29-0 lead. Hunter's interception return in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter made it a 36-point advantage and put the mercy rule into affect, allowing the clock to run without stopping.
East Juniata running back Wade Truitt ran for 180 yards on 26 carries, but his only touchdown came in the final seconds when the game was well out of reach. The final whistle sounded just a few seconds later, and a fireworks show lit up the Manchester sky.
A fired-up Brown addressed his team immediately afterward still high on adrenaline, applauding the Bobcats efforts and laying out the tough tasks ahead.
"We're going to have to fight harder than we fought tonight next week!" Brown said. "We're going to have to fight even harder the week after! We can't get complacent if we want to be a playoff football team! Nobody is going to tell me we're not until they beat us on the field!"
The Bobcats yelled in agreement, almost as pumped as their coach.
After his team dispersed, Brown started to make his way up the bleachers where giddy fans still lingered more than 20 minutes after the final play. That's when the impact of the historic victory started to sink in.
"I remember the feeling that first freshman game when Suburban came in here and took it to us," Brown said. "It was an empty feeling. There were just so many questions in the back of my mind. To see everything come together, from the facility, to the community, to these kids and how much they matured, it was incredible. I just feel complete. I'm as at peace as I've ever been."
smclernon@ydr.com; 771-2045
WHAT THEY SAID
--- "In the best scenario that I envisioned it, this is how it went down. You can't ask for much more than that." -- Northeastern head coach Brendan Brown
--- "I bobbled it at first, but I got it, ran up, saw the hole and took it. Three of my guys were blocking out front, and I just took it." -- Bobcat Patrick Hilbert. He returned an 80-yard kickoff for a TD on the game's first play.
--- "We knew going into the game that this was not a first-year team, and they've done it the right way." -- East Juniata coach Tom Feltman
--- "We can't get complacent if we want to be a playoff football team! Nobody is going to tell me we're not until they beat us on the field!" -- Brown addressing his team after the game.
