Danbury's Elijah Hatfield runs for two scores, throws another in setback
Elijah Hatfield nearly carried Danbury to a victory Saturday.
CJ Carlson caught a 57-yard touchdown pass from Hatfield for a two- point advantage and the Lakers led with less than one minute to play in a 28-24 setback to Waldron (Michigan).
Waldron converted on fourth down and completed the winning 24-yard touchdown pass with three seconds left.
"We were so close," Danbury coach Brett Sykes said. "All game long we couldn't make a play when we needed it."
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Carlson, a 6-foot-3, 260 pound lineman, slipped behind the defense and was open.
"The guy that is supposed to catch the pass was hurt," Sykes said. "That was the first time we ever threw a ball to him."
Danbury twice converted on fourth down and Hatfield rushed for a 6-0 lead. Hatfield rushed 29 yards to set up a 10-yard score from Cannon Crownover on the ground for a 16-12 deficit in the third quarter.
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Hatfield scored from 17 yards for an 18-16 advantage for Danbury. He had 128 yards on 17 totes.
"We had a them in fourth-and-long and lost a guy in coverage," Sykes said. "We knew they were going to try and come out and bully us up front. We had answers for that. We just can't lose guys in coverage. They were running that three-vertical stuff all day.
"We told the defensive backs to not let anything get behind them. The kid just made a great play. We had a guy in the right position. We're young. At some point, we're going to start making those plays."
Danbury plays eight-man football.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Danbury struggles in pass coverage in loss to Waldron (Michigan)
