Hartland Football Hangs On to Win 14-13 Over Ypsilanti Lincoln
Eagles finish season with a 4-5 record.
Photos
A long touchdown pass, failed 2-point conversion and an onside kick recovery highlighted a dizzying final 46 seconds that ended with a home Hartland football win.
The 14-13 victory over Ypsilanti Lincoln on senior night caps an up-and-down season for the Eagles (4-5).
Junior wide receiver Brandon Gigliotti's touchdown catch put Hartland ahead 14-7 with 4:53 left in the game and set the stage for the dramatic finish in the final minute.
After a Hartland defensive timeout, Lincoln scored to pull within one point and the Railsplitters' bid to take the lead on a 2-point conversion fell short on an incomplete pass.
The Eagles recovered the ensuring onside kick and downed the ball to end the game — the closest game pointwise since the opener when Hartland lost by three points to Ann Arbor Skyline.
To take a look back at the year, here are links to our previous coverage:
- Aug. 26 — 28-25 loss to Ann Arbor Skyline
- Sept. 1 — 15-6 win over Livonia Franklin
- Sept. 9 — 20-13 loss to Howell
- Sept. 16 — 24-14 loss to Milford
- Sept. 23 — 25-17 win over Pinckney
- Sept. 30 — 20-9 loss to Brighton (Homecoming)
- Oct. 7 — 28-6 loss to Grand Blanc
- Oct. 14 — 34-14 win over Waterford Kettering
Frank Leppek
10:57 am on Saturday, October 22, 2011
I very much enjoyed the Hartland football team and its season this year. We all saw these young men evolve as a true team to achieve their goals. The early games were challenged with mistakes of inexperience and severe injuries, but the team improved. It takes the entire squad to improve a team - the "scout" team as well as the competitive team. The scout team will get their chance when they are ready.
These young men represented our Hartland community very well. We saw no wild inmmature antics on the field, no poor sportsmanship, and plenty of hard hitting competition.
Most of the time a major success of a team is determined by the health of the squad. We lost a good one in the first game. A senior, all league , lineman : Korey Boutell was lost for the season. It took only one more game to have his teammates pick up for Korey and work harder for the team. Korey was with his teammates for the entire season : Always supporting them and getting " their backs". Look at his photo in this gallery to see the determination he has. Do you think he gave up on his teammates ? I don't.
I think we adults sometime lose focus as to all the ways our boys can learn about team sports, working hard, and never giving up on their goals. They stayed together , as a team, by supporting each other on the sideline as well as on the field.
Thank you Hartland Football.
Jennifer Whitbeck
12:58 pm on Saturday, October 22, 2011
great photo David!!! Way to go Eagles!
Debbie Suiter
5:00 pm on Sunday, October 23, 2011
David...your picture of the 2 girls you said were members of the Pom Squad...
They are Varsity Cheerleaders Shay Viviano & Adrian Martino!!
: )