EVERETT – Hassan Brockman picked the right venue to pull off a hat trick and then some.
Brockman had kickoff returns of 55, 46 and 29 yards for three touchdowns, caught short passes for two more scores and added a pair of long pass receptions that set up two additional TD’s as Everett beat Billings 97-60 in a National Indoor Football League playoff game Friday at the Everett Events Center. Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
Officials halted the game with 25.4 seconds remaining when fighting broke out following Brockman’s 1-yard TD reception from quarterback Albert Higgs. On the play, Brockman took a spectacular spill over the end zone wall, a tumble aided by the Mavericks. A mad scrum ensued and the game was called. Everett and Billings are bitter rivals and share a history of bad blood.
The Hawks (15-0) move on to the Pacific Conference semifinals where they face the winner of Sunday’s game between Tri-Cities (9-5) and Wyoming (10-4). The semifinal game is set for July 15 at the Everett Events Center.
In a game with Hawks heroes aplenty, it was the rookie Brockman who most energized the 3,349 fans on hand. An odd development given Brockman’s insistence earlier this week that “the veteran’s will carry the team and the rookies will go along for the ride.”
“Nobody’s a rookie now this is the playoffs,” Everett coach Dan Maciejczak said. “We knew Hassan had the talent, the blazing speed and the ability to find the open spot on kickoffs.”
Brockman’s first TD came in the opening quarter after Billings had cut Everett’s lead to 14-6 on the first of Chris Dixson’s eight touchdown passes.
Brockman took the ensuing kickoff five yards deep in the end zone and used key blocks by Jason Quinn and Clay Harrell – and a nifty cutback move – to spring free for a touchdown.
“I tried to go left, but saw a convoy of defenders coming left,” Brockman said. “I cut hard right and saw nothing but daylight.”
In a blowout of a first half, which ended with Everett enjoying a 49-18 lead, A.J. Street and Jason Quinn each had two touchdown receptions. Running back Anthony Simmons added two short TD runs.
Quinn caught two more TD passes in the second half and Street added a third scoring reception. Quinn finished with 9 receptions for 84 yards, Street had 6 for 75 yards and Brockman, starting for Cory Grow – out with a hamstring strain – grabbed 6 passes for 73 yards.
“I just figured I could make a difference,” Brockman said. “I had to pick it up for Cory and those are some big shoes to fill.”
Much of the first-half carnage came about as a result of stops by the swarming Everett defense, led by linebacker Travis Salter. A trio of Salter’s team-high six tackles blunted Billings kickoff returns.
Credit Billings for clawing back in the third quarter. The crowd was temporarily hushed when former Hawk Anthony Candler caught a TD pass from Dixson to pull Billings to within 56-40 with 6:38 remaining in the third quarter.
“It’s frustrating to throw eight touchdown passes and lose,” Dixson said. “But I respect Everett and hope they win it all.”
Later in a third quarter in which the teams combined for 56 points, Brockman returned an on-side kick 29 yards for a touchdown and Quinn’s 9-yard TD reception upped the score to 77-46 at the end of the period.
In the first half Billings closed to within 21-12, but a short TD run by Simmons followed by a 3-yard scoring pass to Quinn built Everett’s lead to 35-12 by midway through the second quarter.Former Everett wide receiver Chris Stallworth made a spectacular leaping catch of a Dixson pass – flipping over the end zone wall – for a 14-yard touchdown to cut the Mavericks deficit to 35-18.
The Billings comeback hopes were short-lived. On it’s ensuing possession Higgs found Street with a 10-yard touchdown pass to balloon the lead to 42-18 with 2:38 remaining in the half.
After Everett’s defense forced yet another Billings four-and-out, Brockman’s 29-yard reception set-up a 4-yard TD run by Simmons to put the Hawks ahead 49-18.
The Hawks separated themselves from the Mavericks early on.
A key block by Ed Powell bought the scrambling Higgs sufficient time to throw a 4-yard TD pass to Quinn on Everett’s first possession.
On Billings’ first possession Jamley Austin’s big hit stopped Dixson short of a first down and Billings settled for a missed field goal.
Starting from its own 5, Everett went ahead 14-0 seven plays later on Higgs’ 29-yard touchdown pass to Street.
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