By TIM IRVING
For Hilton senior Jeff Broadnax, it has been a long time coming.
After tearing an ACL midway through the Pandemic-forced spring season, Broadnax sat all of last season. His patience paid off Thursday as he became the latest Cadets workhorse in a 35-20 victory over Brighton.
The win broke a tie for second in Class A1 with Hilton (6-1) having the inside track for two home games in sectionals.
“We didn’t come out too sharp and they had us running around a little bit but we gathered ourselves with some big plays, third down conversions and got it done,” Hilton head coach Rich Lipani said.
The Bruins (5-2) got their offense going first as quarterback Tyler Martinovich connected a couple of passes and set up sophomore running back Gavin Parks for a touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, Preston Wittmeyer’s kick carried return man Robert Lowry back to his one-yard line but the junior found room and brought the ball back 99 yards. The Cadets converted the two-point conversion to take the lead.
Lipani said, “That saved us. That gave us a chance to win the game because we were reeling.”
Later in the first quarter, Parks scored again and the Bruins failed to make the two-point conversion for a 13-8 lead.
Broadnax started finding holes in the Brighton defense and scored from five yards out and the lead was 14-13.
Late in the first half, quarterback Colton Thorp scored from two yards out on a sneak and the Hilton lead as 22-13 at the half.
After the Cadets forced a three-and-out on Brighton’s first possession of the second half, a holding penalty forced the Cadets into a first-and-20. Thorp threw a strike to tight end Nick Fede. Two plays later, the junior quarterback hit Luke Lockhart for 49 yards and the lead was 28-13.
“We’re a running team so he doesn’t get to throw the ball as much but his completion percentage has to be close to 70 percent, “ Lipani said of Thorp.
Brighton got back to within eight points on Parks’s third touchdown of the game.
But the combination of Broadnax on the ground and Thorp’s accuracy through the air led to Thorp to Lockhart again for a 35-20 lead and the Cadets were able to run out the clock from there.
Broadnax gained 153 yards on 33 carries. Hilton sophomore John DiBatisto led the Cadets defense with nine tackles.
Parks finished with 96 yards on 18 carries.
Brighton finishes the regular season with Irondequoit while the Cadets travel to Canandaigua and Hilton’s depth will be put to the test.
“We just gotta get healthy, get healthy for Sectionals is the most important thing,” Lipani said.
Thank you for the article! Stats on Broadnax, 33 carries for 153 yards.
John DiBatisto, sophomore, 9 tackles to lead Hilton defense.