Blackhawks Tangle with Tigers

DARBY - The Blackhawks gave the Darby Tigers a run for their money Oct. 18 in the final game of the season.

The Blackhawks struck first with a 13-yard touchdown run by Nate Samuli. The Tigers returned the kickoff to tie the game back up but not for long. Logan Robinson pulled down a pass from Hunter Sokoloski for a 50-yard touchdown followed by a two-point conversion by Samuli.

The Blackhawks held the lead through the rest of the first half but in the third quarter the Tigers scored three touchdowns before the Blackhawks could bring them back under control.

The damage had been done but the Blackhawks didn't give up. Samuli took in a 13-yard touchdown and stuck the extra points. Then Sokoloski scored on a short run to bring the Tigers to within reach.

Both teams scored in the final quarter but the Tigers stayed out of reach of the Blackhawks. The final score was 34-40.

Blackhawks Head Coach Ryan Sokoloski said even though the team came up short it was a good last game of the season.

Coach Sokoloski has been pleased with the season especially considering the smoky start. With missing practices for the first several weeks of the season due to the Rice Ridge Fire, he said the team never gave up.

The whole team impressed Coach Sokoloski with how they have adapted to his new strategies as a second year head coach.

Some standout athletes from the season for Coach Sokoloski were Samuli and Logan Maughan for their running and hard hitting. On special teams, Logan Robinson and Dakota Wood had a great year returning kickoffs.

On the defensive side, Hunter Sokoloski, Jasen Sokoloski and James Webb put some good pressure on quarterbacks. One standout freshman was Beau Sloan. Coach Sokoloski said he put a lot of pressure on Sloan and he accepted it fairly well.

Coach Sokoloski is looking forward to building on this season next fall, hopefully not in the smoke.