On the official
Ithaca (Mich.) football roster,
Logan Hessbrook is listed as a wide receiver and defensive back.
However, on Friday the 6-foot-3, 185-pound junior was all-quarterback as he sparked the Yellowjackets to a 37-27 victory over Constantine for their third consecutive Division 6 state title and overall 42nd win in a row.
Though he did play quarterback last year on the JV team, Hessbrook was only a backup at that position this year, getting a few reps during blowout games. He was unexpectedly thrust onto the biggest stage of his life when star quarterback
Travis Smith broke a bone in his shoulder on the second play from scrimmage.
Smith had been the backbone of the team, passing for 2,446 yards and 39 touchdowns, while running for another 896 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Coach Terry Hessbrook, Logan's uncle, told Mlive.com, "I told him (Logan), 'Travis isn't coming back ... It's up to you. This team knows how to win. You just have to keep playing.' Not one guy on our coaching staff flinched when Travis went down. No matter how we felt, we couldn't allow the players to see us panic. In the last four weeks, Logan probably has gotten one or two snaps in practice. Good coaching, huh? I just never dreamed Travis would go down."
All the untested signal caller did was run 23 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns and complete seven of 13 passes for 104 yards and another pair of touchdowns. He quickly tied the game 7-7 with a 48-yard scoring run. He also tied the score at 14 and 20 with scoring passes of 30 and 22 yards, then put his team ahead for good with a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Logan told the media, "The line did a great job of blocking for me. We have great players around me. They helped me out. I never dreamed of something like this happening."
Five other teams with long winning streaks also won on Friday.
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Clairton (Pa.) overcame a slow start to beat Sto-Rox (McKees Rocks)
58-21 for its state-record/national leading 60th
consecutive victory. The previous record of 59 straight wins was set by
Central Bucks West (Doylestown) from 1997-2000.
See complete story.
Nick Myers, Maryville quarterback
File photo by Dan Browning
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Maryville (Tenn.) raised its winning streak to 43 games with a comeback 47-43 victory over previously unbeaten Siegel (Murfreesboro) in the Class 6A state semifinals. The Rebels scored the winning touchdown with just 1:12 remaining on a 28-yard pass from
Nick Myers to
T.j. Kimble.
Myers, a senior, completed 23 of 30 passes for 259 yards, while Kimble had a career-high nine receptions for 127 yards.
Though his team lost a heartbreaker, Siegel quarterback
Brent Stockstill deserves a major award for courage. He tore an ACL the previous week, but refused to sit out the game. Despite operating basically on one leg, he completed 23 of 35 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns.
Tae Martin caught eight passes for 245 yards and scored three touchdowns.
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Bellevue (Wash.) posted its 39th consecutive win with a 37-7 decision against No. 2-ranked Mount Si (Snoqualmie) during the Class 3A state semifinals.
John Nguyen paced the Wolverines - who gave Mount Si its only two losses - with 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
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Greenwood (Ark.) defeated El Dorado 42-39 in the Class 6A state semifinals. Greenwood had won the last two 5A titles before moving up a class, while El Dorado had won 6A for the last three years.
Jabe Burgess led the Bulldogs to their 37th straight victory by completing 23 of 26 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
Lucas Reed passed for 343 yards for El Dorado.
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Duxbury (Mass.) also won its 37th game in a row with a 35-14 decision over Marshfield (Mass.) on Thanksgiving Day.
