ANGOLA-The Angola Hornets were at the brink of elimination. The Hornets (7-5) were about to end their season in heartbreak in what was a hard-fought game between two blue-collar, respected NECC rivals.
Longtime Angola Head Coach Andy Thomas opted to go for the win on a two-point conversion. Garrett’s (6-6) defense stood tall and sacked Angola quarterback Brady Ravis to maintain a slim 28-27 lead.
Momentum seemed to have withered into a silent, chilly thin air. Multiple times in the 4th quarter, Garrett was one play away from extinguishing the Hornets. The Railroaders appeared to have moved the chains on a third-down play with two min left before fumbling it away to set up a string of cinematic and surreal moments.
Down a single point with 34 seconds left, there is no way the Angola Hornets would have another trick up their sleeve. Right? People were saying the Angola Hornets could not stop Tippecanoe Valley and their stout running back, until they did. One week later, Angola-down 13 in the fourth quarter at West Noble-couldn’t score on the Chargers’ defense. That is until senior running back Hawk Hasselman led the way with his three touchdowns in the 21-20 Hornets’ win. We will get to the ‘Hawk’ in just a moment.
In spite all of that effort to get to the sectional championship game in front of a home crowd, the clock was striking midnight with no hope in sight. Angola’s season was over, until it wasn’t.
When at least expected, Angola caught Garrett and everyone else by surprise with an onside kick that was successfully recovered by Angola’s Dallas Davidson.
How did the Hornets respond to the outcome of that play? Well, here comes the Hawk! For the past four years, Hawk Hasselman had been one of the marquee faces for the purple and gold.
Hawk Hasselman with his elusive speed and jaw-dropping athleticism always has a knack to hypnotize fans and football enthusiasts alike. Hawk could throw the football as a competent quarterback, with elite legs, incredible footwork, and exceptional IQ. Oh, and Hawk Hasselman also kicks PAT’s and field goals.
When it comes to the ‘Hawk’, he always finds a way to elevate his game when the spotlight is shining at its brightest-and that is saying a lot when you have a squad at Angola with plenty of talented athletes. So, when Angola’s season was at the very brink of elimination, of course Hawk Hasselman was going to find a way to turn himself into Superman. Just moments prior to the onside kick, his 38-yard touchdown reception was helped nicely by a great route read and an even better block from Davidson to open up a path to the end zone.
Leading up to the final moments of this game, Hawk had already recorded a touchdown pass on a trick play earlier in the quarter to go with his TD reception. The stage was set for a theatrical ending that not even Hollywood can recreate.
That’s what a kid always dreams to be like when they are an athlete. Any player would have wanted to fantasize themselves as the hero that won their town and their team a postseason championship against their nemesis.
In a classic old-school Angola-Garrett rivalry, a new chapter was being written to the 66-year history of this series-which includes the first ever postseason meeting. After both teams exchanged punches early on, the stage was set to crown a champion.
Those final 34 seconds felt like an eternity. What could the Hornets do next? It didn’t take long for Angola to strike while the iron was hot. Ravis threw a deep ball to his consistent target, Tyler Ruple, who leaped as if he was in a jump ball situation in basketball and came down with an unbelievable catch in double coverage.
This took the Angola offense to the Garrett 5-yard line. A couple plays later, here comes the ‘Hawk’ once more, but this time it was in a vital field goal situation. A 20-yard field goal attempt separating Angola from either a glorious finish and hoisting a sectional title or an agonizing defeat with Garrett successfully defending their sectional crown from a season ago.
Hawk Hasselman had spent his entire life building up for this exact moment. Do you really think he was going to put all of this work just to waste this opportunity?
Long story short, Hasselman successfully nailed the kick to defeat Garrett in dramatic fashion 30-28. In what felt like the longest 34 seconds in one person’s lifetime concluded with the Angola Hornets winning their first sectional since 2018.
Once again, Angola finds a way to silence the doubters. Next week, expect the same narrative again, when they make the drive to Knox to face the state’s career rushing leader in the great Myles McLaughlin.