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Hun Football Fell Short of MAPL But Seniors Good to Their Word
By Bill Alden
The seniors on the Hun School football team may not have won the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) crown that they coveted but they kept a promise they had made two falls ago.
"I remember a practice two years ago when the seniors were sophomores and we had lost some close games," recalled Hun head coach Dave Dudeck, whose club finished this fall with a 7-2 record. "I took the class to the side and we made a pact that if they worked hard, they would end up competing for a championship. They did that."
The seniors worked hard to the end as the Raiders rolled past Pequannock 31-9 in their season finale on November 7. "The Pequannock game was a game in which we took care of business," said Dudeck, whose club fell short of the MAPL crown due to losses to league rivals Lawrenceville and Blair.
"The seniors and PGs were excited to be playing under the lights. They were a little tight at first but once they relaxed, things went well. Emir Davis had a mammoth game [with 230 yard rushing], it was his best game rushing in his career. It was great to see him end things like that. Danny Hudacko's blocking cleared the way for him on our traps."
Dudeck admitted that the program will have a void to fill in the absence of his group of seniors. "We will feel the loss of our senior class," said the fifth-year head coach, whose senior class included such standouts as Davis, Craig McGovern, Jack Martin, Chris Giordano, Quartie Durell, Chris Kuchar, Bryan Severance, and Tom Monfiletto. "There will be a lot of holes to fill, there were so many of them who contributed."
While the seniors were the driving force behind Hun's superb season, Dudeck got contributions throughout the lineup. "It really was a team-type effort this year," said Dudeck. "Different guys stepped up in different games. Dom Natale had a tremendous year at quarterback. Junior Jabbie put up some big numbers. Danny Sica had some clutch games. Bryan Severance was consistent all season on the line."
With the Raiders having posted a 13-5 mark over the last two seasons combined, Dudeck is happy with the program's progress. "The first thing to look at is the 7-2 record," said Dudeck. "I know the seniors wanted to go 9-0 and win the MAPL but 7-2 is impressive. If we could change one thing this year, it would be the first half of the Lawrenceville game. We had a chance to put them away and we didn't. The program is going in the right direction."
Next season the Raiders will build things around their star quarterback Natale, who passed for 19 touchdowns and nearly 2000 yards. Dudeck cautioned that the team will need to bolster both lines and improve defensively in order to keep progressing.
The returners would do well to follow the example of Hun's Class of 2004. "Although you'd like to win a championship, this group improved as much as they could," said Dudeck, whose team ended the season with a four-game winning streak. "These kids made progress every year. They gave their all and that's all you can ask for as a coach."
While the seniors didn't win a title,
they certainly kept their word with their coach.
