(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: CLEAR SAILING: Hun School senior football star Nick Williams races for a touchdown in action earlier this season. Last Saturday, Williams had two touchdown receptions and rushed for another score as Hun whipped the Lawrenceville School 34-6. Hun, now 3-1 overall and 2-0 in Mid-Atlantic Prep League action, plays at undefeated Blair Academy this Saturday in a critical MAPL showdown.

Hun Football Overcomes Sloppy Start; Pounds Lawrenceville Into Submission

Bill Alden

In the early stages of its game at the Lawrenceville School last Saturday, the Hun School football team certainly didn’t look like the juggernaut it hopes to be.

The Raiders repeatedly shot themselves in the foot, getting called for several penalties that stalled their progress.

Although Hun head coach David Dudeck wasn’t happy with the infractions, he had a sense that his team would ultimately dominate the contest.

“I was not really concerned with the penalties,” said Dudeck. “Two things that came out early to me — we were able to move the ball real well and we had control of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.”

Dudeck’s hunch was correct as his team overcame its sloppiness to ultimately pound the Big Red into submission in the annual Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) grudge match. Hun built a 14-0 cushion by halftime and then pulled away to a 34-6 victory to improve to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in MAPL play.

Senior star Nick Williams benefited from Hun’s control of the trenches as he rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown and made five receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns.

“Nicky had a huge game,” said Dudeck of the 5’11, 180-pound speedster whose touchdown receptions covered 51 and 56 yards.

“He can do a little bit of everything; he is such a weapon for us on offense, defense, and special teams.”

Hun showed some variety in utilizing its arsenal of weapons as junior quarterback Brendan Dudeck hit 11-of-24 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns.

“In the first half, we wanted to see what happens if we throw the ball on them so we whipped it around a little bit,” recalled Coach Dudeck.

“We made some good plays; there were good catches and Brendan made some good throws.”

While the quick-strike ability of the offense turned heads Saturday, the stingy Hun defense continued to be a constant. “Our defense was outstanding,” said Dudeck. “Lawrenceville was very limited in what they could do.”

The trio of lineman Tyler Stockton together with linebackers Brian Leffler and Donald Coleman led the way in putting the clamps on the Big Red.

“Tyler Stockton is an absolute force for us inside; teams just can’t block him,” said Dudeck of the 6’1, 280-pounder who is headed to Notre Dame.

“Brian Leffler was outstanding, he is a phenomenal, phenomenal linebacker game after game. He just plays so hard. Donald Coleman had a great game defensively.”

With Hun now at 3-1 after the win over Lawrenceville, Dudeck likes the direction in which his team is heading.

“What has made me happy is we have been improving week to week; the kids are working real hard in practice,” said Dudeck.

“It’s not just showing in the wins; if you watched a tape from our first scrimmage and the game Saturday, you would see that we are a different team. They know they are not a great team. They have to play with emotion, they have to play hard, and they have to play smart.”

Hun will need to utilize all those qualities this Saturday as they head up to play undefeated Blair academy in what is shaping up as the pivotal game in the MAPL title chase.

“Blair is real good football team; their line is always big,” said Dudeck “They have a running back Dion Lewis who is one of the best in the state. It’s going to be a challenge. Our defensive front seven has to be real big; that is where the game is going to be won.”

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