Wells football didn’t lose a single game last season on its way to a second straight Class D state title.
But the Warriors are now playing up in Class C, and the Hermon Hawks spoiled any repeat chance at perfection this season by hanging on to beat Wells 22-16 Friday night.
Hermon took an early lead in unconventional fashion in front of its home fans, going up 2-0 on a safety. The Hawks later added a 36-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ethan Curtis to slotback Sam Hopkins.
That would prove to be the key connection throughout the night, with Curtis and Hopkins connecting for three touchdowns in the game.
The second of those scores came with just 2.3 seconds left in the first half, giving the Hawks a 15-0 lead at halftime. Hopkins had also made a leaping interception to get the Hawks the ball to start that late drive.
The third Curtis-to-Hopkins TD may have been the most pivotal, with the Hawks converting on a fourth-and-goal to stretch the lead to 22-8 after a successful extra point.
That helped counter a second half push by Wells, which came up just short.
The Warriors scored on their opening drive of the second half, with quarterback Noah McDonough running it in to start the third quarter.
Even after Hopkins’ fourth down TD, the Warriors kept the pressure on. McDonough threw a 37-yard TD to number one. Dominic Carbonneau added a two-point conversion and suddenly it was a six point game.
Wells got the ball back after a Hermon punt, and after a 20-yard run to start the drive by Brady Godin, it looked like the Warriors could be in business. But a huge sack by Hermon, and then an interception by Hawks linebacker Dylan Yeo sealed the win for the home team.
