Career victory number 300 came teasingly close to reality for longtime high-school football coach Bruce Hanson the night of Sept. 27, but the coveted milestone will have to wait until at least the next game after his Yorktown Patriots suffered an overtime loss.
Yorktown (3-2) led the host West Springfield Spartans, 22-14, with 2:08 left in regulation play in the non-district tilt, was ahead again 28-22 in overtime, then lost 29-28. The difference was a missed extra point in OT by Yorktown, then a made point after by the Spartans in their walkoff win.
The Patriots failed on three extra-point attempts overall and were hurt by some costly late-game untimely penalties.
“We could have and should have won, and I feel badly for our players that we didn’t win,” said Hanson, who has coached Yorktown for 39 seasons.
In some ways Hanson said his team played better, smarter and harder than during a blowout loss to Arlington rival Washington-Liberty the week before.
“We were a real team tonight. We ran the ball well and hit some passes,” Hanson said.
Yorktown had 355 total yards, with 227 rushing and four running touchdowns.
Finn Luca rushed for 93 yards, Nate Randles for 62, Max Troiano for 61 and quarterback Drew Morgan for 11. All four had touchdown runs on sustained scoring drives.
Morgan passed for 128 yards. Luca caught six passes for 76 yards, with Troiano and Brady Owens catching two each and Sammy Keiser one.
Max Yoon booted a 32-yard field goal for Yorktown, which did not turn the ball over, and intercepted West Springfield twice on defense. Owen Woodward and Grant Buckley had the interceptions. Buckley, Kidus Yinsu and Bobby Shea were among Yorktown’s top tacklers.
Yorktown led 7-0 on a 12-play scoring drive after taking the opening kickoff, then trailed 14-13 at halftime. Penalties helped set up one of West Springfield’s final touchdowns.
Hanson’s next chance for his 300th victory will be at home against the Centreville Wildcats (2-3) on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
