Down 19-16 with two minutes left in the game the Hurricanes had the ball near midfield. Dalhousie had just driven the length of the field to score and take the lead. To say the mood was tense at MacAdam Field would be an understatement.
Hurricanes’ quarterback Nick Hunsley threw incomplete on first down. On second down, with the clock showing under a minute to play, he threw a screen pass left to running back Chucky Ortiz and the crowd took to its feet.
By the time Ortiz completed his epic run, he was in the endzone with five Dalhousie defenders in his wake. He broke tackles, he made lightning quick moves, he went 51 yards on what has to be the play of the year.
βThat’s the nature of this league, no lead is safe,β said Hurricanes head coach Mark MacDougall after the game. βOn their last drive they put the ball in Greg Pelley’s hands and we couldn’t stop them. Then we put the ball in Ortiz’s hands, and they couldn’t stop us.β
βIt was a great play when it counted most.β
The 22-19 win advances the Hurricanes to the league final next weekend against UNB Fredericton.
Dalhousie came out strong and put together two solid drives in the first quarter, but managed only a field goal.
Early in the second quarter Hurricanes defensive back Wildens Sertyl stepped in front of a short pass from Tigers quarterback Michael Tassone deep in Dalhousie territory. That set up a one yard Jordan Blizzard run to put Holland College up 7-3.
Blizzard also made a nice 40-yard punt for a touchback midway through the second quarter.
Pinned deep again near the end of the first half, Dalhousie allowed a Kaeto Okafor sack and had to give up a safety on the next play. That put the Hurricanes up by a touchdown to close out the half.
Midway through the third, Hurricanes wide receiver Robbie Tufts made two huge plays in a row to blow the game wide open. The first was on a Jordan Blizzard fake punt. Tufts made a huge crackback block on a Dalhousie defender to help Blizzard make the first down. On the next play he made a spectacular leaping catch for a touchdown to make it 16-3 Hurricanes.
And that’s when Greg Pelly took over. First he scored on a nice catch and run on a 40-yard pass from Michael Tassone to bring the Tigers within five. Then late in the fourth quarter the Dalhousie standout made four catches in a row including a clutch grab for a third down conversion, and the touchdown that put Dal ahead by three.
Then came the Ortiz run that sealed the deal for Holland College.
Hurricanes quarterback Nick Hunsley went 10 of 18 on the day for 143 yards, two touchdowns and an interception to share the APM Offensive Player of the Game with Ortiz. Luke Williams made four catches for 40 yards. Tufts had three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. Andrew Oake was the APM Defensive Player of the Game with six tackles and a sack. Patrick LeFrank and Garvin Cius had interceptions for Holland College.
So it is on to the AFL championship game for the second year in the row for the Hurricanes. In the short history of the league, no team has ever claimed back-to-back titles.
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