by Twinsburg, Ohio – Junior quarterback Jacob Paltani had 23 carries for 215 yards and four touchdowns, leading visiting Hudson to a blowout victory over host Twinsburg, 56-13, in the regular season finale for both teams.
It took a while for Hudson’s offense to get going, but Paltani got things started with a four-yard touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in the first quarter to put the Explorers up 7-0.
Two more rushing touchdowns by Paltani in the second quarter would make the score 21-0. The Explorers took advantage of a short field both times, forcing a pair of fumbles on defense. Twinsburg would march down the field and cap off their drive with a touchdown run from senior running back Dominick Glenn to cut their deficit to 21-7.
Junior running back Drew Lightner would add a rushing touchdown before the end of the first half to increase the lead to 28-7 going into halftime.
In the third quarter, Paltani would add his fourth rushing touchdown, and senior quarterback Ryan Neher would find Ryan Evans for a seven yard touchdown reception to increase the lead to 42-7 and trigger a running clock. After another Twinsburg score, Hudson would add a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
“Their guys come out and fight every single play. That’s what we preach to our kids all week. They had a couple of fourth down stops and we were lucky to force a couple of turnovers. It’s great because it rolls right into the playoffs now. We get to go face an opponent that we haven’t faced in a while. I’m excited for our kids. To go from 3-7 last year to 7-3 this season is really impressive. Gotta give the praise to these kids.” said Hudson head coach Jeff Gough.
Junior running back Drew Lightner had ten carries for 63 yards and a touchdown, and senior quarterback Ryan Neher, who came into the game in the third quarter, had 13 carries for 55 yards, and went 5 of 5 passing for 61 yards and a pair of touchdowns to aid the winning effort.
Hudson came into Friday night’s matchup ranked 5th in Division II, Region 5 according to JoeEitel.com. They are on track for a Week 11 matchup at Massillon Perry once the official playoff field is set Sunday evening.
Hudson finishes their season at 7-3 overall and 6-1 in the Suburban League American Division, splitting the conference championship with Wadsworth and Brecksville, thanks to Wadsworth’s 35-34 victory over the Bees.
In a losing effort, junior running back Aiden Corrigan had 13 carries for 84 yards, and senior running back Dominick Glenn had six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, and 11 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Twinsburg finishes their season at 2-8 overall and 1-6 in the Suburban League National Division.
