Mustangs' Hurley comes up big

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:22PM

Morgan Park coach Lexie Spurlock talked about "big-time players rising up in big games. No one came up bigger than Dae' Shawn Hurley, who threw a touchdown pass while he was airborne with just over a minute to play, and intercepted a pass on the last play of the game.

Christopher Dalton came up with a loose ball on the opening kick of the second half and it led to a touchdown as Morgan Park knocked off Hubbard 28-20 to win the Illini Prairie State title Friday night at Gately Stadium.

Hurley scored on a two-yard run four plays after the the fumble recovery for the No. 16 Mustangs (7-1, 5-0). Then, No. 23 Hubbard (7-1, 4-1) answered with an 80-yard, 13-play drive capped by a three-yard scoring run by Quincy Skanes, who completed a two-point conversion pass to Delano Braxton to cut a 10-point deficit to 22-20 with 4:25 to play in the third quarter to set up the drama of the last 65 seconds.

Hurley connected for a 36-yard touchdown to Javon Bright on a third down and 17 with 1:05 to play to put Morgan Park up 28-20.

Hubbard got into Mustang territory before Hurley picked off a Skanes pass at his 18 as time expired.

"He's just a smart kid and a great leader," Spurlock said. "That touchdown was an option and he saw something and knew he could make that pass."

"This gives us momentum going into playoffs [city and state]," Hurley said. "We had a bad game against Simeon and we marked this one after that loss. I've been playing against [Skanes] and all of their guys since fifth grade.

"I've played defense all of my life. We didn't think that [Hubbard] respected our passing game. They had eight guys in the box most of the night."

Morgan Park took the opening kick and marched 52 yards in 11 plays, scoring on an eight-yard run by Brandon Peppers. It was 8-0 after Desmond Earls ran in a two-point conversion.

Hubbard answered with a 14-play drive that took 8:25 and scored on a seven-yard pass from Skanes to Braxton. A tackle by Morgan Park's Dareil Lee-Crowder stopped a two-point conversion try to leave the score 8-6.

Hubbard got the ball right back when the kickoff was fumbled and Courtney Lewis recovered at the Morgan Park 17. On the third play from scrimmage, Skanes took a snap with five receivers wide and ran 14 yards to put the Greyhounds up 12-7. A bad snap on a PAT resulted in the holder being tackled.

After a punt pinned he Mustangs at their 10, 45-yard pass from Hurley to Crowder got them out of the hole. Three plays later, Hurley threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Bright to put Morgan Park up 14-12 with 1:27 remaining in the first half.

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