Hawks 4-0 after beating Lake Park

For just a few minutes Friday night in Roselle, it seemed like the football gods may have been conspiring against allowing Bartlett's first 4-0 start in school history.

After all, the Hawks squandered a first-and-goal chance from Lake Park's 1-yard line and found themselves locked in a 7-7 tie for the better part of two quarters.

But as any championship-caliber team will tell you, capitalizing on your opponents mistakes can do you no harm. Bartlett did exactly that, taking a 14-7 lead after a botched Lake Park punt attempt and left Roselle with a 30-7 Upstate Eight Conference victory.

Bartlett coach Tom Meaney cited his team's workmanlike attitude as a main reason the Hawks (4-0, 2-0) battled back from a disappointing opening drive.

"You want to capitalize any time you get a break like that, and obviously we didn't," Meaney said. "The kids are pretty business-like. You don't see a lot of jumping around or goofing around. They're pretty all business, and they knew they missed that opportunity and hopefully they would come back and sustain a drive later."

Holding a 17-7 advantage with just 21 seconds remaining before halftime, the Hawks quickly put together a 2-play scoring drive to bury the Lancers even further. Quarterback Josh Hasenberg hooked with up with senior wide receiver Alex VanNess deep down the right sideline for a 32-yard score and a 17-point cushion.

Hasenberg completed 18 of 27 passes on the night and credited his offensive line for giving him enough time to find VanNess on his only touchdown toss of the game.

"They were going to blitz, but then they backed off, and our line recognized it and they blocked really well," Hasenberg said. "They gave me tons of time - I can't even imagine how much time they gave me - and Alex got open and I just gave him the ball."

Hasenberg realized that with Friday's victory, the 2008 Hawks have accomplished something no other Bartlett team has. However, he refuses to give in to complacency in the midst of a promising season.

"We know it's a big deal, but we're not going to let it get to us," Hasenberg said. "We're going to come out tomorrow, watch film and just start working hard."

Lancers coach Andy Livingston hoped his team could build some momentum following a 20-6 win over Neuqua Valley, but the Lancers (1-3, 1-1) couldn't find ways to help themselves.

"They shut us down, especially in the second half," Livingston said. "It seemed like we were shooting ourselves in the foot an awful lot, having a bad snap or a fumble at really inopportune times. You can't do that against a Bartlett team that's got a lot of weapons."