FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – From a quality standpoint, this rated
about a three. Especially considering the quality of teams.
Then again, it’s not even September.
Hamilton celebrates a hard-earned victory.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
In the end, both the coolest and perhaps most competitive kid
came up the biggest, Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) senior quarterback Kyren Poe, who led his 19th-ranked
team to a 24-17 victory over No. 23 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) in the fifth annual
Sollenberger Classic at Northern Arizona University’s Lawrence Walkup Skydome
Saturday night.
Before about 7,000 fans in a game that pitted defending
large-school state champions, Poe snuck home from the 1 with 1 minute, 33
seconds remaining to break a 17-17 tie.
He set up the touchdown with a 58-yard bomb to Tanner Clay
one play after Gorman had tied the contest on a 7-yard touchdown run by super
junior back Shaquille Powell and ensuing determined two-point conversion from
quarterback Jarrett Solomon with 3:25 left.
Poe, a first-year starter after sitting behind standout Travis
Dean, led his team in rushing (14 carries, 57 yards) and was 8-of-13 for 169
yards as the Huskies won their 26th straight contest.
His numbers weren’t startling, but other than Powell’s
199-yard rushing effort on 29 carries, there was nothing particularly flashy
about this one.
And that suited Hamilton coach Steve Belles just fine. He
likes the no-nonsense, team guys best.
“The great thing about Kyren is nothing rattles him,” Belles
said. “He made some mistakes tonight and he’s more disappointed about that than
anyone. But he’s a competitor and that’s what you want in a quarterback. I
don’t want a hangdog. I want someone in there who says, I want the ball again
because I’m not going to let you or the team down.”
Poe not only threw for 169 yards but rushed for team-high 57 yards and TD.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
Both teams did.
Gorman sputtered offensively early and mustered only 223
yards, but the Gaels kept battling back.
They committed five penalties on their first drive, but on
their next possession, Powell ripped off a 60-yard run to set up one of three
Colin Ditsworth field goals.
When they fell behind 17-9 early in the fourth quarter, they
put together the most impressive drive of the game, a 12-play, 70-yarder that
led to the game-tying scores.
“It was kind of sloppy on both sides,” Gorman coach Tony
Sanchez said. “There were too many penalties, too many balls on the ground. But
you know what? You got to love it. It’s Aug. 22nd and you got 16-
and 17-year old kids competing their hearts out. You can’t ask for more than
that.
“Am I disappointed though? Absolutely. But at the end of the
day you got to cowboy up and go back to work.”
Belles shared the same sentiments – even in victory.
“It was a great game for the national scenes with two great
teams going at it,” he said. “We’re happy with the win, now we have to find a
way to be a better football team. We have a long way to go.”
The Huskies started quite well on its first possession as
Poe hit a streaking Kendyl Taylor with a 47-yard bomb on their team’s first
play. That led to a Taylor 8-yard touchdown and Hamilton led 7-0 with 7:25 left
in the first.
“We have great receivers and I just put the ball out there,”
Poe said.
A facemask penalty by USC-bound defensive end Jalen Grimble
kept the drive alive. It was one of six penalties Gorman made in the first
quarter.
“The little things hurt us all night long,” said Grimble,
who otherwise had a strong game with eight tackles and a fumble recovery.
Gorman fought back from the rough spot and got three
straight field goals from Ditsworth, who looks like another Division I prospect
from this contest.
Ditsworth drilled kicks from 21, 44 and 42 yards, the latter
coming on the final play of the first half, giving the Gaels a 9-7 lead.
“We’re always going to show heart,” said Powell, a 5-10,
181-pound junior. “Too bad we couldn’t have shown more balance. You can’t beat
a great team like that being one dimensional.”
Powell was the most productive player on the field with 29 rushes for 199 yards and this 7-yard TD run.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
The Huskies took back the lead with the play of the game, a
scintillating, weaving 82-yard punt return by Malcolm Holland with 8:54 left in
the third quarter to go up 14-9.
Holland took advantage of three huge blocks, broke to his
left, cut back to the right near midfield and went virtually untouched. He
called it by far the biggest touchdown of his career.
“I saw the ball in the air and about four guys coming at
me,” he said. “I knew I had enough space to get around the wall. I caught the
ball, made a move around the wall, and then cut back. After that, it just felt
amazing.”
Said Poe: “That was awesome. Malcolm is great. He’s worked
so hard (in the off-season). He’s always first in the sprints. He’s just a
great athlete.”
Though the blow was big, Gorman came right back and drove 40
yards but had some trickery backfire. On 3rd-and-3 from the Hamilton
33, Powell broke around right end, pulled up and tried to fire a pass back to
quarterback Soloman.
The ball was tipped and defensive lineman Alex Burgoyne made
the interception.
Poe then led the Huskies on a 54-yard march, setting up a
22-yard field goal by Clay with 10:19 left in the fourth quarter to make
it 17-9.
“We made a lot of mistakes all night but found a way to
battle back,” Belles said.
As did Gorman on its next drive, going 70 yards to tie the
score at 17 on Powell’s TD run and Soloman’s determined 2-point conversion with
3:25 left.
The poised sophomore quarterback rolled right but when no
one was open, he made a fast dash and just barreled in at the right pylon.
“I got there for the team,” he said.
With all the momentum and a loud Gorman contingent cheering
loudly, Poe didn’t flinch after a quick pep talk from Belles.
“I just said, ‘hey, that’s what the game is all about,’ “
Belles said.
On the first play from his own 20, with loads of time thanks
largely to bookend Division I tackles Christian Westerman (Texas) and Tyler Johnstone (Oregon), Poe fired a streak to Clay, an athletic 6-4, 180-pound
senior.
Clay hauled it home at the Gorman 22.
“I just looked at him the whole time,” Poe said. “The line
protected me great, I saw the cornerback on (Clay’s) butt and I just put it out
there. He’s a great receiver and went up and got it. It was a great catch.”
After a 21-yard rumble to the 1 by Jai Johnson, Gorman made
two big pushes and stopped Johnson for no gain. On third down, Poe found a
small crease between his center and right guard to score the game-winner.
“I just put my head right in the ally,” Poe said. “The
credit goes to the lineman. It feels great. Winning this game is just a great
feeling.”
Gorman coach Tony Sanchez (left) and Hamilton coach Steve Belles agreed both teams need work.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
Gorman
3 6 0
8 - 17
Hamilton 7 0
7 10 – 24
First quarter
H – Taylor 8 run (Clay kick), 7:25
G – FG, Ditsworth 21, 4:40
Second quarter
G – FG, Ditsworth 44, 7:36
G – FG, Ditsworth 42, 0:00
Third quarter
H – Holland 82 punt return (Clay kick), 8:54
Fourth quarter
H – FG, Clay 22, 10:19
G – Powell 7 run (Soloman run), 3:25
H – Poe 1 run (Clay kick), 1:33
STATISTICS
Team totals
First downs: Gorman 13, Hamilton 14
Rushes-yards: Gorman 42-165, Hamilton 29-124
Passing: Gorman 7-17-2-58, Hamilton 8-13-0-169
Plays-total offense: Gorman 59-223, Hamilton 42-293
Punt return yards: Gorman 0-0, Hamilton 1-82
Fumbles/lost: Gorman 2-0, Hamilton 3-2
Penalties-yards: Gorman 6-37, Hamilton 4-37
Possession time: Gorman 29:46, Hamilton 17:34
Individuals
RUSHING
Gorman: Powell 29-199, Williams 1-(-1), Soloman 12-(-33).
Hamilton: Poe 14-57, Jai Johnson 5-42, Jones 1-11, Holland 1-9.
PASSING
Gorman: Soloman 5-16-1-58, Powell 0-1-1-0. Hamilton: Poe
8-13-0-169.
RECEIVING
Gorman: Zeger 1-20, Powell 1-13, Smith 1-13, Tillman 1-9.
Hamilton: Clay 3-89, Taylor 3-63, Holland 1-10, Henson 1-7.
See Live Blog of the game.
