Solid playoff action here, competitive game, and a good atmosphere. Not a huge crowd but in that fourth quarter of play both sides were loud and behind their team.
After Hylton failed to generate any offense on the opening drive, Dale got the ball and went on to call a fairly aggressive game to open up and it paid off. Playing against a Hylton defense that was positioned to stop the run, Dale took advantage and struck quickly with two big touchdown passes in the first quarter to go up 14-0, one of them that covered a long catch-and-run from beyond midfield.
Hylton clamped down defensively after that, but had a tough time getting anything going on offense. Dale had containment on the designed runs by the Hylton QB and often flushed him out of the pocket on pass plays while their coverage made it difficult to take chances downfield. A few big sacks sent Hylton drives backwards and it really showed that Dale came to play.
At times this year, Hylton played their best ball in the second half and that was the case again last night. After stopping Dale on their first possession, Hylton condensed everybody offensively on their first drive of the second half, grinding the ball on their way to a 17-play scoring drive, according to insidenova.com. A short touchdown reception was their only pass play on the drive, and I do not think a receiver lined up out wide on the entire drive. They really made the adjustment at halftime to line everybody up and run straight at Dale in the second half and it worked to get their first score. A mishandled snap on the extra point left the score at 14-6.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter when Dale was pinned inside their own 10-yard line following a Hylton punt. A penalty pushed them inside their own five and after a three & out series Dale was forced to punt from a very poor position. To note, Dale also had several personal fouls throughout the game that awarded Hylton with chunks of free yardage. Hylton returned the punt inside the Dale 10-yard line with a golden opportunity, punched it in for the score as well as the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14. At this point Hylton had completely seized the momentum.
Dale got the ball back with a lengthy distance to cover, but came through with the most crucial play of the game. Similar to the second touchdown pass earlier in the first quarter, the Dale receiver caught a mid-range slant pass and burned the Hylton defenders with a long run after the reception deep into Hylton territory. A few plays later Dale was in prime field goal position inside the 25-yard line and converted with about 40 seconds remaining to make the final score 17-14. Hylton got the ball back but after a modest return, only 40 seconds left, and little success passing the ball on the night it was a tall task even to get into field goal range; time would eventually expire.
Hats off to Thomas Dale for making the trip and jumping out early to help capture the win. Their execution on several huge pass plays made the difference here. Both teams played a physical game and it was just fun to watch how the momentum shifted in this game. Would not expect anything less out of the Thomas Dale and Hylton series.
After Hylton failed to generate any offense on the opening drive, Dale got the ball and went on to call a fairly aggressive game to open up and it paid off. Playing against a Hylton defense that was positioned to stop the run, Dale took advantage and struck quickly with two big touchdown passes in the first quarter to go up 14-0, one of them that covered a long catch-and-run from beyond midfield.
Hylton clamped down defensively after that, but had a tough time getting anything going on offense. Dale had containment on the designed runs by the Hylton QB and often flushed him out of the pocket on pass plays while their coverage made it difficult to take chances downfield. A few big sacks sent Hylton drives backwards and it really showed that Dale came to play.
At times this year, Hylton played their best ball in the second half and that was the case again last night. After stopping Dale on their first possession, Hylton condensed everybody offensively on their first drive of the second half, grinding the ball on their way to a 17-play scoring drive, according to insidenova.com. A short touchdown reception was their only pass play on the drive, and I do not think a receiver lined up out wide on the entire drive. They really made the adjustment at halftime to line everybody up and run straight at Dale in the second half and it worked to get their first score. A mishandled snap on the extra point left the score at 14-6.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter when Dale was pinned inside their own 10-yard line following a Hylton punt. A penalty pushed them inside their own five and after a three & out series Dale was forced to punt from a very poor position. To note, Dale also had several personal fouls throughout the game that awarded Hylton with chunks of free yardage. Hylton returned the punt inside the Dale 10-yard line with a golden opportunity, punched it in for the score as well as the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14. At this point Hylton had completely seized the momentum.
Dale got the ball back with a lengthy distance to cover, but came through with the most crucial play of the game. Similar to the second touchdown pass earlier in the first quarter, the Dale receiver caught a mid-range slant pass and burned the Hylton defenders with a long run after the reception deep into Hylton territory. A few plays later Dale was in prime field goal position inside the 25-yard line and converted with about 40 seconds remaining to make the final score 17-14. Hylton got the ball back but after a modest return, only 40 seconds left, and little success passing the ball on the night it was a tall task even to get into field goal range; time would eventually expire.
Hats off to Thomas Dale for making the trip and jumping out early to help capture the win. Their execution on several huge pass plays made the difference here. Both teams played a physical game and it was just fun to watch how the momentum shifted in this game. Would not expect anything less out of the Thomas Dale and Hylton series.
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