HUDSON – Eight touchdowns for No. 8.
Jake Attaway – the Hudson Hawks’ starting quarterback since his freshman year – registered eight touchdowns on Oct. 5 as his team defeated the Mid-Wach-C rival Maynard Tigers 63-28 during Homecoming weekend. After a tight, 28-22 loss to Maynard last season, the Hawks left little doubt this time around; the team’s 63-point performance set a school record for points in a game.
“Offensively, we have a lot of weapons on the field. The offensive line has been doing a great job – you can’t throw the ball if you don’t have time to throw, and we’ve had plenty of time to get the ball in the air. All around, it’s a team effort. There’s great buy-in from the guys at practice,” second-year Hudson Head Coach Zac Attaway told the Community Advocate after the win.
Jake Attaway opened the game strong, finding senior wideout Nolan Yates for an opening-drive score that made the game 7-0. After the Hawks’ defense forced a three-and-out, Attaway returned the punt to give his team a two-score lead. Attaway connected with Yates again – this time on a 56-yard pass – for another touchdown on Hudson’s next drive. By halftime, Hudson led 35-14.
When all was said and done, Attaway had eight touchdowns: three passing, four rushing, and the punt return. He also completed a pass for a two-point conversion and accumulated over 200 rushing yards. Two potential 50-plus-yard touchdown tosses were called back by penalties.
Humble as ever, Jake Attaway attributed his success to his teammates.
“It starts with the line, which helps give me time to make my throws and make my runs. Then, whatever we need to do, I’ve got receivers that can catch the ball, people that can block for me, and I can try to make plays happen when I’ve got them in front of me,” he said.
“Anything that we do successfully is a total team effort, but Jake does put in a lot of hard work. It’s what he does behind closed doors. It’s what he does when nobody is watching. That goes for the rest of these guys, who put a lot of hard work in during the off-season, during practice. Then, we come out here and we put that on display for everybody on a Friday or Saturday night,” said Zac Attaway.
The win, the centerpiece of Homecoming weekend, brought the Hawks’ record to 5-0. From the passionate (and loud) student section, to the residents that came from RecFest – hosted by the Hudson Recreation Department just before the game – historic Morgan Bowl was packed.
As teams shook hands after the game, fireworks erupted outside the stadium. Though the act wasn’t sanctioned by the school – the result of some well-timed mischief, some remarked – it served as an excellent symbol of just how special this season is feeling for the Hawks.
“It means a lot to have that community support. They had the RecFest earlier today, so we were hoping to pull some people in from that event, maybe people that don’t typically watch football, to enjoy the game. The community support is unbelievable – we had a great crowd tonight,” said Zac Attaway.
“There was a huge crowd this week. Last year, we lost to [Maynard]. Obviously, everyone wanted to get back at them, so there was a huge crowd. There was the [RecFest], so people were coming back from there. There was just a sick crowd. I loved it,” said Jake Attaway.
Jake Attaway today:
8️⃣ total TDs
4️⃣ rushing TDs
3️⃣ passing TDs
1️⃣ punt return TD
1️⃣ HUGE win for @HHSHawksAD, as the Hawks take down Maynard 63-28 on Homecoming weekend! A special performance! 🏈
Here’s Attaway after the game:@jake_attaway @HHSHawksFB pic.twitter.com/sR8xS1JSOu
— Evan Walsh (@evanjrwalsh) October 6, 2024