Huntingdon football season ends at 7th-ranked Wesley

DOVER, Del. – The Huntingdon Hawks knew they had a tough challenge in front of them on Saturday.

Facing seventh-ranked Wesley College at Scott D. Miller Stadium, the Hawks entered the game with hopes of an upset and a possible playoff berth. The Wolverines ended those hopes with a 41-point first half and a 54-13 win over the Hawks.

Wesley (9-1) improved to 50-3 at home since 2004. The three losses were against Montclair State in the 2007 regular season, Mary-Hardin Baylor in the 2007 quarterfinals and Wisconsin-Whitewater in the 2010 semifinals.

For Huntingdon, it was a disappointing ending to one of the Hawks' strongest seasons. Having never beaten a ranked opponent before this year, the Hawks beat two Top-15 teams this season and were 2-2 against Top-20 competition.

At 7-3, Huntingdon matched the 2005 season for second most wins. This is the fourth time in head coach Mike Turk's eight seasons at Huntingdon that the Hawks have won at least seven games.

"We're making progress, but as we found out today, we've still got a long way to go," Turk said. "But this group of players raised the bar for our program. We accomplished a lot this year.

"We improved during the course of the year and did the things you want your team to do. We were outgunned today, but going 7-3 against the schedule we faced and beating two ranked opponents, that's something all of these guys should be proud of."

This Huntingdon senior class finished with 29 wins in four seasons, the most yet by a Huntingdon senior class.

"I'm really proud of how these seniors have handled this team and provided leadership," Turk said. "It wasn't just their performance on the field, but the way they mentored the younger players. This group was dedicated to the program and they did everything we asked of them to help us be successful."

On Saturday, the Wolverines finished with 459 yards of offense on 56 plays. Huntingdon was held to 228 yards on 73 plays. Wesley quarterback Shane McSweeny did much of the damage, scoring three times in the first half and passing for a touchdown in the third quarter.

McSweeny scored on a 46-yard run on Wesley's first possession, a 9-yard run late in the first quarter and a 1-yard run midway through the second quarter. McSweeny hit Matt Barile for a 60-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, capping a three-play, 94-yard drive.

Barile finished with two catches for 101 yards. McSweeny ended with 183 yards passing on a 10-of-14 day and rushed for 67 yards on five carries. McSweeny, Steven Koudossou and Devar Robinson combined for 184 yards and five touchdowns on 11 carries.

Huntingdon running back Trevor Manuel rushed for 35 yards on 19 carries and had five receptions for 54 yards. The junior scored the Hawks' only offensive touchdown on a 1-yard run with 2:13 to play. Freshman linebacker Bruce Hemphill scored the Hawks' first touchdown on a 30-yard fumble recovery late in the third quarter.

Manuel, who became the Huntingdon career leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns earlier this season, also became the career leader in carries on Saturday. With one season to play, Manuel has 431 carries for 2,075 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Huntingdon quarterback Neal Posey was 18-of-34 for 127 yards, two interceptions and was sacked three times against Wesley. The junior finished the season with 2,794 yards and 21 touchdowns. Both numbers rank as the second most in a season for the Hawks.

Senior receiver Cody Pearcy finished with four catches for 37 yards. His third reception made him the Hawks' all-time leader in receptions. He ends his Huntingdon career with 147 receptions for 2,632 yards and 25 touchdowns. He is the career leader in all three categories.

Defensive backs George Johnson and Keith Anthony and linebackers Kirk Johnson and John David Swiger each had five tackles to lead the Huntingdon defense.

Anthony and Kirk Johnson end their careers as the Hawks' second and third all-time leading tacklers. Former linebacker and current linebackers coach Granger Shook holds the tackles record with 289. Anthony is second with 255 stops and Johnson is third with 226. Anthony also leaves Huntingdon as the program's career leader in interceptions with 19.