Staff photo / Preston Byers Girard’s Allen Hess-Cardona (5) and Drake MacGregor (17) tackle Hubbard running back Rome Odem during Friday’s game in Hubbard.

HUBBARD — Girard and Hubbard both entered Friday’s game against each other with hopes of winning the Northeast 8 Athletic Conference this year. But only one team left Memorial Stadium with its title dreams realized.

The Indians, who beat Poland last week to claim sole possession of first place in the NE8, clinched their first NE8 championship since the conference’s founding with a decisive 48-20 victory over the previously one-loss Eagles on Friday in Hubbard.

“We haven’t even thought about it yet,” Girard head coach Pat Pearson said of winning the NE8. “I think these guys are doing special things and they don’t even realize it. So we’re just gonna try to stay numb to all that and just stay locked in and keep going. But I can’t be more proud as a coach and as a Girard guy. I couldn’t be more proud.”

The Indians, much like they have done all season, started fast.

On the fourth play of the game, quarterback AJ Pearson found tight end Allen Hess-Cardona on a screen pass that went 27 yards and inside the Hubbard 10-yard line. After a false start, Pearson zipped a 12-yard pass to Braxton Sloan in the near corner of the end zone for an Indians touchdown.

Following a punt on its first drive and a punt on Girard’s second, Hubbard found pay dirt during its second offensive possession.

Facing fourth-and-one at the Indians’ 31, the Eagles converted with a short run by quarterback Braydon Songer before Mike Hazimihalis carried the ball for 9 yards and then, on the ninth play of the drive and first of the second quarter, rushed for a 14-yard touchdown. The ensuing extra point failed, with a high snap preventing kicker Caleb Mackay from making an attempt and keeping the Eagles down 7-6.

It would not take too long for the deficit to expand, Pearson completed each of his three passes on the subsequent drive, including a deep throw to Joey Alejars down the Hubbard sideline, which went for a 35-yard touchdown.

From there, Friday’s must-win game unraveled for Hubbard.

Down eight with 9:28 remaining in the half, the Eagles returned the kickoff return to their own 15. Songer then took a 12-yard sack as part of a three-and-out.

On the second play of the following drive, Pearson went deep again, this time to Sloan, for a 38-yard touchdown pass.

On the second play of its next drive, Hubbard gave the ball back to Girard, which recovered a Hazimihalis fumble at the Eagles’ 28. Continuing the trend, the Indians scored on their second play, a 27-yard touchdown pass by Pearson to Lipinski, who the sophomore quarterback found breaking upfield as he scrambled out of the pocket.

Girard, after forcing a punt with 2:21 left in the half, executed its two-minute drill, taking 1:59 to score its fifth touchdown of the half, a 6-yard run by Pearson. Maxwell Erickson’s PAT was blocked, keeping the score at 34-6 going into the locker room.

“Girard is explosive offensively, and they have weapons at every position,” Hubbard coach Brian Hoffman said. “They had some big plays, and those big plays catapulted them to a lead. We kept plugging away, but they got too far away from us. We had some other chances, and we didn’t capitalize.”

The Indians triggered a running clock halfway through the third quarter when Pearson ran in for a 1-yard touchdown a play after Lipinski was stopped just shy of the goal line on a long reception.

Hubbard momentarily stopped the clock with 1:32 left in the third, as Songer found Dylan BuCher for a 12-yard touchdown, but a 44-yard touchdown run by Lipinski one minute into the fourth reactivated the running clock.

Songer and BuCher connected again for the final touchdown of the game with 2:49 remaining.

Although Hubbard (7-2, 3-2 NE8) is unable to win the conference, a postseason berth remains attainable heading into its Week 10 matchup vs. five-time NE8 champion South Range.

“The message is to come to work Monday, and let’s finish the season, learn from our mistakes and come up with a plan to play better next Friday night,” Hoffman said.

With a victory next week in its regular season finale at winless Niles or a Poland loss vs. Struthers, Girard (9-0, 5-0) would win the NE8 title outright. If the Indians lose and Bulldogs win, they will share the league championship.