Nation Ford Falcons pick apart York Cougars

The Nation Ford Falcons got their first 4A playoff win on the road beating the York Cougars 40-21, scoring 20 fourth quarter points in the process.

Defense was the name of the game early on as both teams struggled to move the ball. Both Nation Ford and York ended their first drives of the game by punting the ball. Falcons’ quarterback Cole Martin came out targeting senior receiver Hank Tuipulotu hitting him on his first three passes.

On Nation Ford’s second series, Martin hit receiver Alex Stennett for a 28-yard pick up and then Jordan Helms for a 13-yard pick up to get them deep into York territory. Although they were able to move the ball, York’s defense was able to make a big stop to stall the Falcons’ momentum by putting a lot of pressure on Martin.

The Falcons’ defense was just as strong as they held York to just one first down in the first half and 41 yards of offense.

Turning point

The Falcons’ Ben Tuipulotu picked off York’s second pass of the second half to give the ball back to Nation Ford. Martin then scrambled for a 26-yard run and was aided with a late hit out of bounds to get the Falcons into the red zone. Two plays later, running back Tyree Chaplin ran the ball in from 10-yards out to put Nation Ford up by two scores.

York made a game of it with about seven minutes left as sophomore quarterback Brayden Hawkins hit Paul Moore for a 30-yard touchdown pass to close within two scores. The Cougars then recovered an onside kick and Hawkins again hit Moore quickly to get back into the red zone. Several plays later, Brandon Garvin scored for York to make it a five-point game.

Critical

In the fourth quarter and leading by five points, but needing to score, Martin hit Helms for a 68-yard pass that took the ball to the York 22-yard line. Martin then hit Tuipulotu for a 20-yard pass to the two, setting up Nation Ford’s fourth rushing touchdown of the game.

On their next possession, the Falcons put the game out of reach as Martin hit Stennett, who was wide open and ran the ball in from 38 yards out with about 2:30 left.

Star contributions

Martin led Nation Ford through the air passing for 458 yards and two touchdowns. Chaplin rushed for two touchdowns as he ran the ball seven times for 28 yards. Rayquwan Taylor rushed for two scores and 47 yards on 11 carries. The Falcons had three receivers – Tuipulotu, Helms and Stennett – all with over 100 yards.

Hawkins came off the bench to pass for 187 yards going 18 for 28 for York.

Overheard

Nation Ford coach Michael Allen said they challenged their defense all season and they really stepped up when it was needed the most. “We knew we had to stop the run,” he said. “Our kids played tough. We really wanted to established a run ourselves. Our offensive line did a good job.”

Team Statistics

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 10:52 PM with the headline "Nation Ford Falcons pick apart York Cougars."