Swashbucklers Score Second Straight; Sink Sailors 16-7

By Kevin Yoder photo by Oliver Thompson 

The Hudson Pirates football team made the short voyage down highway 63 last Friday night for the latest “Battle of the High Seas”. The game had significant district implications, and the Pirates came out strong.  

The opening drive of the game featured a 43-yard completion from Tade Roberts to  Austin Kliegl to get Hudson in the red zone. The drive ultimately stalled but Jackson  Nesteby put three on the board with an important 29-yard field goal. 

Defenses were stout and both teams traded punts throughout the first half. It wasn’t until the Sailors’ final drive of the half that they put some first downs together. That drive ended with a Columbus touchdown, and they would take that 7-3 lead into the locker  room at halftime.  

Halftime adjustments have been a staple for the Pirates this season, especially defensively as the starting defense has only allowed one touchdown all year following intermission.  This night would be no different, and the offense began to click as well. 

While attempting to establish the run in the first half, the Pirates opened the second half  doing what they do best. Quarterback Tade Roberts connected with multiple receivers for  short gains, ultimately capped by hitting Anderson Yoder on a jet sweep. Yoder took that  short forward pass and did the rest, covering 21 yards before blasting over the goal line  for a 10-7 lead.  

But the resurgent Pirates weren’t done there. A short time later they found themselves  knocking on the door once again. This time they faced a fourth down play from the ten  yard line.  

Roberts made a great read on the defense and found Owen Bell on a smash route at the  three. He secured the catch and turned and dove into the end zone for his first career  touchdown. The PAT was blocked, but the Pirates still took a two-score lead to the fourth  quarter.  

While the Pirate offense didn’t add points the remainder of the game, they relied on their  defense to seal the victory.  

Two straight Sailor drives in the fourth quarter ended abruptly by key Pirate  interceptions. The first was by linebacker Levi Roberts following a tremendous pressure 

hit on the quarterback from defensive end Carter Ites. The second came from Austin  Kliegl with great coverage on a last chance deep ball. Combined with an Anderson Yoder  pick in the first half, the Pirate defense registered their first three interceptions of the  season, something Yoder said was a point of emphasis this week.  

“We hadn’t had a pick yet this season, and we challenged ourselves to create turnovers  and that would be the difference. We are playing with a lot of confidence right now and  can’t wait for the next challenge.” 

With the 16-7 victory, the Pirates now share first place in the district with the similarly  2-0 Union Knights…their opponent Friday night for homecoming. Game time is 7 pm.