Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Hurley's Dakota Haanen (25) reaches to deflect a pass intended for Turtle Lake's Caden Torgerson Friday night at Turtle Lake. It was a fourth down pass in the second quarter and was Hurley's first defensive stop of the game.
TURTLE LAKE, Wis. --- While the score may have looked like it, Hurley didn't play a basketball game Friday night.
Their football season shows no signs of ending anytime soon.
Taking their offense to another level, the No. 4-seeded Midgets defeated No. 5 Turtle Lake 76-44 Friday night in a WIAA Division 7 Level 1 playoff game.
Hurley compiled a video-game like 647 rushing yards, led by senior fullback Scott Subert's 318, and it was more than enough to offset the Lakers' vaunted passing attack.
The Midgets (6-3) advance to play at top-seed Clear Lake (10-0) next week for a Level 2 matchup. Clear Lake beat Elmwood-Plum City 40-8 Friday night.
Hurley defied some early-season predictions just to make the playoffs for a 20th straight year; now the Midgets are looking to make a postseason run.
"Especially after losing last year at home, it was great to come down here and get a playoff win and hopefully we get another one next week," Hurley coach Scott Erickson said. "We're still alive."
Turtle Lake (7-3) coach Doug Kahl expected his team would have to score on most every possession to win, but they missed a couple of red-zone opportunities. The way Hurley was playing offensively, that was enough.
"Their misdirection is outstanding," he said. "I think their quarterback (Isaac DeCarlo) handles the ball about as well as anybody I've ever seen."
With the breakneck pace the teams scored at in the first quarter, it looked like the first team to 100 points might win.
Hurley took a 28-22 lead in the first quarter. Subert had 164 rushing yards on his own in the quarter.
Dakota Haanen started the scoring with a 44-yard run. Turtle Lake responded with a touchdown pass and a conversion to pull ahead 8-6.
Subert went 58 yards on the next possession and Hurley led 12-8.
Turtle Lake scored. Subert went 60 yards and the Midgets got the conversion for the first time for a 20-16 lead. Turtle Lake scored. Subert scored from nine yards out with one second left and the conversion was good to give Hurley a 28-22 lead.
The frenetic pace slowed down in the second quarter. Hurley still scored on big plays, runs of 36 and 28 yard by DeCarlo. But Turtle Lake was slowed considerably, scoring just once, and the Midgets came up with two stops, one on fourth and goal at the 13 and the other as time expired as Turtle Lake drove to the Hurley 11 but couldn't punch it in as Isaac DeCarlo defended the final pass to the end zone well.
Hurley led 44-28 at the half.
The Lakers had just one second-quarter touchdown and Hurley led 44-28 at the half.
"They were getting the ball coming out of halftime, so that was a real big stop for us," Erickson said.
Turtle Lake coach Doug Kahl said that was a big moment.
"We had a dropped touchdown the drive before. I thought if we could have punched that one right at the end, I felt the momentum could have switched, because we got the all right away in the second half," he said. "(The final play of the half) was just a little underthrown and (DeCarlo) made a nice play on it. It was a missed opportunity for us."
Turtle Lake didn't take advantage of getting the ball first in the second half either. Nor did they score after stopping Hurley for the only one and only time in the game on the ensuing possession.
Subert ran 27 yards for a third-quarter score and the conversion gave Hurley a three-touchdown lead, 52-28 with 3:06 left in the quarter.
The Midgets weathered the wild first quarter and were in control of the game.
"Really proud of the kids for hanging around," Erickson said. "We got some big stops when we needed to get separation and get a comfortable lead."
The Lakers still responded with a touchdown and then recovered the onside kick. But DeCarlo picked off a Jonah Kahl pass and Hurley's lead wasn't truly threatened again. The Midgets outscored Turtle Lake 24-8 in the fourth quarter to seal it.
Subert scored five touchdowns – 58, 60, 9, 27 and 37 yards.
"They weren't picking up the trap at all, they really weren't blitzing anybody," Subert said. "I kept the ball layered and uncovered and after I knew nobody was around, I just ran for touchdowns all night."
It was a night to remember for him and all the Midgets.
"He had a heckuva night," Erickson said. "He's been super rock solid all year. He had good blocking up front, the fakes made these guys chase. Really pleased with how we were offensively."
Haanen finished with 151 yards on seven carries; he scored two touchdowns. DeCarlo had 112 on seven carries along with two touchdowns.
Hurley 28 16 8 24 - 76
Turtle Lake 22 6 8 8 - 44
First Quarter
Hur --- Dakota Haanen 44 run (run failed), 10:44
TL --- Caden Torgerson 23 pass from Jonah Kahl (Carson Schneider pass from Kahl), 8:05
Hur --- Scott Subert 58 run (run failed), 7:47
TL --- Kahl 1 run (Lucas Torgerson pass from Kahl), 5:51
Hur --- Subert 60 run (Arthur Johnson pass from Isaac DeCarlo), 4:48
TL --- Jorgen Stachowiak 5 pass from Kahl (conversion failed), 1:57
Hur --- Subert 9 run (Dakota Haanen run), :01
Second Quarter
Hur --- Isaac DeCarlo 36 run (Nathan Harrington pass from Haanen), 7:30
TL --- Kahl 1 run (conversion failed), 1:21
Hur --- DeCarlo 28 run (Haanen run), :31
Third Quarter
Hur --- Subert 27 run (Haanen run), 3:06
TL --- Kahl 9 run (Schneider pass from Kahl), 1:19
Fourth Quarter
Hur –- Haanen 63 run (DeCarlo run), 11:46
TL –- Schneider 31 pass from Kahl (Kahl run), 11:09
Hur –- Subert 37 run (Haanen run), 9:41
Hur –- Kodey Henning 40 run (Haanen from DeCarlo), 3:08
Hur TL
First downs 12 23
Rushes-yards 43-64 7 23-121
Comp-Att-Int 1-1-0 25-58-1
Passing 29 452
Total yards 676 573
Penalties-yards 7-62 4-45
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING --- Hurley, Isaac DeCarlo 7-112, Dakota Haanen 7-151, Kodey Henning 6-56, Scott Subert 21-318, Evan Erspamer 1-5, Cade Huotari 1-5. Turtle Lake, Jonah Kahl 17-94, Tyler Quade 6-27.
PASSING --- Hurley, Isaac DeCarlo 1-1-29-0. Turtle Lake, Jonah Kahl, 25-58-452-1.
RECEIVING –- Hurley, Nathan Harrington 1-29. Turtle Lake, Carson Schneider 8-158, Lucas Torgerson 7-112, Caden Torgerson 5-107, Jorgen Stachowiak 1-5, Tyler Quade 3-21, Dylan Nitchey 1-37.
