Bard’s game-changing play sparks Winslow by Hampden

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WINSLOW – “Bard 21 run.”

The line in the scoring summary from Saturday’s game doesn’t even remotely do justice to quarterback Patrick Bard’s game-changing play in Winslow’s 14-13 victory over Hampden Academy.

Only two minutes and 35 seconds had elapsed since the second half began as Bard took the snap from center on third-and-5 from the Hampden’s 21-yard line.

Bard rolled to his left on what was intended to be a short pass to Nate Quirion, but the fullback – and everyone else – was covered.

“Nobody was open so I kept rolling. Then I scrambled back, looking for somebody coming back,” Bard recalled. “Then I thought maybe I could get a first down, but my blockers were picking up people as I went so I just kept following my blocks. It was easy to run around people getting blocked.”

Well, he made it look easy, but his 21-yard touchdown run and subsequent game-winning, two-point conversion run were anything but as he led the 3-0 Black Raiders to victory on a dry, sunny afternoon at Poulin Field.

Bard doesn’t have a cereal named for him and he doesn’t have a multimillion-dollar NFL contract, 14 years of professional experience, or a Heisman Trophy… but for one memorable moment Saturday, he and Doug Flutie had a lot in common.

Bard rolled left while sidestepping a bull-rushing defender, rolled the other way with a linebacker on his back, spun away from him, and then ran forward – somehow slipping free from the grasp of another would-be tackler – before sprinting between his blocks up the middle for an improbable TD run which – logic dictated – should have been a sack three different times.

“We had him hemmed in and that was the ballgame, but we just couldn’t catch the little guy,” said Hampden coach Bob Sinclair. “My heart was thumping. If I could have jumped out there and tackled him, I would have.

“I wanted to sneak out there, but I probably wouldn’t have had any better luck than them.”

Just for good measure, Bard then took the PAT snap, ran right on a sweep and stepped into the end zone almost untouched.

“Last year he did it with his arm,” said Winslow coach Mike Siviski. “This year, he’s showing people he can do it with his feet.”

And the Raiders showed they can do it without one of their stars after tailback and two-way starter Chris McCabe left the game with a dislocated elbow late in the first quarter after a four-yard run.

Hampden, now 2-1, was missing their own star in halfback John Dickinson, who suffered a hip pointer last week after rushing for 210 yards and three TDs and was limited to decoy duty on two plays Saturday, but the Broncos running game showed no ill effects early.

The Broncos took a 7-0 lead with 7:02 left in the first quarter after using four plays to drive 69 yards in their second possession.

Senior halfback Pat Brann stole the show early with a 55-yard run through a big hole up the middle on second-and-11 and a 13-yard TD run up the middle one play later.

Winslow answered with 8:03 left in the second when Bard capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive with a 20-yard TD pass to Sam Hapworth.

Hampden went back up 13-6 with 42 seconds left in the half. Josh Sparacio bulled into the end zone from an inch out on third down to cap a nine-play, 74-yard drive keyed by a 39-yard pass from Ryan King to Matt Brann. Sinclair chose to go for two rather than kick the PAT, and 185-pound back Billy Bruschi was gang-tackled a yard short of the goal line.

“We went for it because in order for them to tie, they’d have to get the two and we felt pretty good at the time about being able to get them off the line and get it in,” Sinclair said. “It looms big, but I wouldn’t second-guess myself.”

Quirion (86 yards) credited his offensive line for keeping Hampden’s offense off the field late.

“The line dug in a bit and came out and made some huge holes in the second half,” said Quirion.

Winslow’s defense also came up big, stopping a nine-play Broncos’ drive on 4th-and-1 with 5:24 to play. Jeff Paquette was the lead tackler as the Broncos came up a foot short at the W30 on a fullback dive.

Black Raiders 14, Broncos 13

Hampden Academy (2-1) 7 6 0 0 – 13

Winslow (3-0) 0 6 8 0 – 14

HA – P. Brann 13 run (Thibodeau kick)

W – S. Hapworth 20 pass from Bard (pass failed)

HA – Sparacio 1 run (rush failed)

W – Bard 21 run (Bard rush)

Hampden Academy Winslow

First downs 9 13 Rushing att. – yds 43-130 53-207 Passing cmp. – att. 2-7 3-8 Yards passing 51 48 Total yards 181 255 Intercepted by 0 0 Punts – avg. 5-33.4 5-35.4 Fumbles – lost 6-0 0-0 Penalties – yds 4-40 2-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Hampden Academy: Sparacio 13-44, Bruschi 9-27, Gamble 6-21, King 6-16, P. Brann 4-12, M. Brann 4-10, Grover 1-0; Winslow: Quirion 16-86, Sirois 13-61, Vigue 7-31, McCabe 4-17, Bard 11-11, Lepage 2-1

PASSING – Hampden Academy: King 2-7-0-51; Winslow: Bard 3-8-0-48

RECEIVING – Hampden Academy: M. Bratt 1-39, Sparacio 1-12; Winslow: Quirion 1-20, S. Hapworth 1-20, Lepage 1-8