A simple pass play may have broken down on Hunter Eskola, but his teammates did not abandon the Joe T. Robinson quarterback.
[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD: Full results + recaps, photos and more]
Eskola avoided being sacked twice before finding senior running back Edmond Robinson in the right flat for a 52-yard completion, the first of Eskola's four touchdown passes in a 44-6 playoff thrashing of the Pottsville Apaches Friday night at Charlie George Stadium.
Eskola, not normally a threat with his feet, scrambled away from Pottsville defenders long enough to send the Senators (10-1) to a second-round Class 4A home game against Southside Batesville (8-3) next week.
"Hunter wants to run, but we don't want him to run," Robinson Coach Todd Eskola said of his son and quarterback. "We would rather he stay back in the pocket and deliver the ball. He thinks he's a 4.5 kid. He does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield and keeping a play alive. I thought that was good. Our kids kept moving around. Edmond did a good job of releasing. Hunter did a good job of finding of him and we had some of our other kids did a good job of making peel back blocks to spring (Edmond) for the touchdown."
"The play broke down and I did not like what I saw," said Hunter Eskola, whose scoring pass with 4:07 left in the first quarter pushed the Senators out to an 8-0 advantage. "I went left to try to find something, but nothing was there. (Edmond) was dying to get the ball. He tells me all the time 'I'm open. Throw me the ball.' This time I listened to him."
The Senators quarterback completed 11 of 16 passes for 204 yards. He threw four touchdowns to four different receivers, and the Robinson defense backed the quarterback's effort by forcing three fumbles and returning an interception for a touchdown.
"I've been proud of our defense all year," Todd Eskola said. "I think they are the most underrated part of our team. They're fast. They're physical and as long as they play well, we think we can play or beat anybody."
Running from the Dead-T offense, the Apaches (5-6) managed 11 first downs and 185 yards of offense. Pottsville's longest play from scrimmage was a 37-yard pass from senior Jake White to a leaping 6-4 Bryce Prince. The Apaches' lone touchdown was aided by three Robinson penalties, two of which came on pass interference calls.
"Our defense keeps stepping up every week," Hunter Eskola said. "Everyone wants to talk about our offensive stars, and they do an amazing job, but our defense is the real deal."
The Senators scored the game's first 30 points and led 30-6 at the half.
Senior Koilan Jackson caught three passes for 66 yards -- all in the first half. He scored on a 60-yard screen pass and on a 6-yard run. He also accounted for 2 two-point conversion runs. Eskola threw a 19-yard scoring pass to junior Hunter Swoboda and a 37-yard TD pass to senior Corey Page.
Junior safety Brandon Hudson's 34-yard interception return with 7:27 left in the third quarter was the last of the Senators' six touchdowns.
Kade England, who scored Pottsville's touchdown with a 4-yard run with 21 seconds left in the first half, led the Apaches with 70 yards on 12 carries.
Edmond Robinson led the Senators in rushing with 59 yards on nine carries. The Senators finished with 382 yards, including 178 on the ground.
Sports on 11/12/2016