GATES MILLS — Hawken stared down a fourth-quarter deficit on Friday night, but quarterback Donovan Moorhead delivered in the clutch. His 30-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Mallett with three minutes remaining lifted the Hawks to a 36-33 victory over visiting West Geauga in a Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division showdown.
“Because we have done this before, the kids didn’t panic in that situation,” said Hawken head coach Mark Iammarino. “We had to go a long way; West Geauga had some momentum. We had been running that exit motion all night because it draws Charlie out, and it was set up for something inside, but Donovan saw it real quick that nobody went with the motion, and he threw it there.”
The Hawks came out firing on the opening drive. Moorhead connected with Kene Obi on a 39-yard screen pass, which set up Tommy Wright’s 15-yard touchdown reception for a 7-0 lead.
West Geauga quickly answered when Anthony Dzurilla broke free for a 39-yard touchdown run to tie the score.
Hawken struck back as Wright and Mitch Greenberg made key catches to set up Kevin Oster’s 28-yard touchdown grab and a 14-7 advantage. Moments later, Zack Mangini recovered a fumble, leading to Wright’s second score of the half and a 20-7 lead.
The Hawks added to their cushion when Obi took a screen 51 yards to the red zone and capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.
The Wolverines clawed back before halftime. Miles Baker scored on an 11-yard run, and Joey Skozcen booted a 35-yard field goal to cut the deficit, but Hawken still carried a 29-13 lead into the break.
West Geauga found its footing in the second half. Quarterback Finn Keenan connected with Tyler Fink on a 45-yard strike before sneaking in from the one-yard line to make it 29-19.
Baker then stole the spotlight. First, he powered through tacklers for a determined touchdown run that cut the margin to 29-26. Later, he broke loose for a 38-yard score, giving West Geauga its first lead of the night at 33-29 with under five minutes to play.
That set the stage for Moorhead’s heroics. After hitting Greenberg for 28 yards, he delivered the game-winner to Mallett to cap a back-and-forth battle.
Over the past four weeks, Hawken has faced one of the toughest stretches on its schedule, going 3-1 with wins over Gilmour Academy, Geneva, and West Geauga, while the lone loss came in overtime against Madison.
“In my eyes, that’s four playoff teams,” Iammarino said. “When I saw our schedule, I saw we had a four-game stretch of playoff teams. That’s a hellacious stretch, and we lost one by not executing a two-point conversion. The kids just have the heart of a lion, and they believe it, and that’s because of our veteran leadership.”
Obi said the Hawks embraced the challenge.
“We were very confident (going into that stretch of games) because pressure is a privilege, and we like the ability to play great teams like that,” he said. “These are learning experience that helps us out in November.”
Moorhead turned in another stellar performance, completing 33-of-46 passes for 390 yards and four touchdowns. Obi caught 10 passes for 151 yards and a score while also adding a rushing touchdown.
Mallett finished with nine receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown, Wright added six catches for 54 yards and a score, and Oster contributed three grabs for 46 yards and another touchdown. Greenberg had four receptions for 50 yards.
Despite their slow start, the Wolverines battled hard in the second half.
“I’m super proud of our guys. They fought their butts off, but it was a tale of two halves tonight,” said West Geauga head coach Rossi Santo. “We played badly in the first half, came out flat with some mistakes. We can’t spot a good team 26 points.”
At 3-3, West Geauga still controls its playoff hopes.
“We just have to compete,” Santo said. “We have four tough games left; we have to compete and get better every day.”
Baker powered the Wolverines’ comeback attempt, rushing for 178 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
Hawken (5-1) travels to Lutheran West next week, while West Geauga (3-3) hosts Harvey on Oct. 3.
