One Completion Enough For Hannan

Moments after his team had just completed its journey to a Group 2 championship, football coach Clyde Folsom talked about all of the great plays that had occurred to make the 22-14 title victory over Haddonfield possible.

One play in particular, he said, was the biggest of the game.

Folsom had plenty of options to choose from. He could have singled out any one of Gerald Towns' three rushing touchdowns. He could have looked at the sack and fumble recovery at the Bulldawgs’ goal line, or any of the other three turnovers forced by the Eagles' defense.

Instead, he pointed to a pass play by quarterback Jake Hannan. It wasn’t hard to figure out which play he was referencing, since the senior quarterback only passed the ball three times, with one completion.

On the final play of the third quarter, with the Eagles holding a 19-7 lead, Hannan and the offense were in need of a big play. West Deptford faced a third-and-14 on its own 24-yard line.

Hannan dropped back and fired a perfectly thrown slant pass to senior Tom Jakubowski, who took it upfield for a 25-yard gain and a big first down. The Eagles converted two more third downs on that drive and ultimately took almost six more minutes off the clock before Josh Cornelius connected on a 26-yard field goal.

The throw itself was nothing remarkable. Hannan and Jakubowski have been playing pitch-and-catch all season and almost always made the most of their limited opportunities. However, it was the news that came out after the game that made the play so special.

“Jake sprained his shoulder in the first quarter and sprained his ankle in the second quarter,” said Folsom. “I think the play of the game was the slant he hit Tom Jakubowski with. That was the play of the game, as far as I am concerned.”

Knowing Hannan was banged up—in combination with the success by Towns on the ground—Folsom kept pass play calls to a minimum, but knew he had to dial one up, given the down and distance.

“We weren’t going to be able to play-action, because he couldn’t run, so he had to throw something there,” Folsom said. “They were in an inverted coverage and we felt that (Jakubowski) could get behind the linebacker, and it was a tremendous throw and a great catch. He held onto the football, got it out to midfield and it got us three points on that drive.”

Hannan tried to keep the injuries to himself, hoping to keep his teammates focused on the task at hand. Although he didn’t know how much physical ability the injuries had taken out of him, he said there wasn’t a chance he was coming off the field.

“I didn’t want to tell many people, but I banged my shoulder a little bit, so we were hesitant to throw," Hannan said. "But coach asked me, and like I said before the game, I would do anything to win this game. I would get carted off in a stretcher if I needed to.”

Instead he got to leave the field a champion like the rest of his West Deptford teammates.

“There’s tons of emotions right now,” Hannan said of his final game. “I’m sad that it’s over; I’m so happy that we won. I’m so proud of these guys. Coach Folsom has been like my father throughout these four years, and I’m just so happy getting something like this.”