Hatajik, Vikings pick up the pace

Sprinter scores two of his three TDs in fourth to put away Bears

Stonington — East Lyme senior Dylan Hatajik is a fast human. And a fast healer.

Hatajik, he of the 11 second 100-meter dash, sat on the Stonington sideline late in the third quarter after cramping up following a punt return. He eventually limped back to the Vikings' sideline.

Stonington wishes Hatajik had stayed there. He scored two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, racing from sideline to sideline on both, to pace East Lyme to a 28-6 win.

“I could feel it (my calf) playing with me,” Hatajik said. “I caught (the punt) and ran to the sideline, and when I hit the ground, it tightened up. Everytime I tried to get up, it kept cramping up, but I was fine.

“(I) got a couple of sips of water and stretched it out, and I was as good as new.”

Hatajik had four catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns for East Lyme (2-1). He also ran five times for 29 yards and a score. Hatajik won the 2017 Class MM state outdoor title in the 100 and was fourth at the State Open.

“He has a another gear that most people don't have,” Vikings coach Rudy Bagos said. “He played quarterback for us for two years . ... I figured if we could get him out as a receiver or in the slot, that makes him a little bit more dangerous. It's starting to show now.”

East Lyme had a second-and-13 from the Stonington 49, several plays after Hatajik

cramped up. Hatajik ran a wheel route down the Vikings sideline and was wide open for a first down catch. He then cut across the field and was nearly at the Bears' sideline when he scored, giving East Lyme a 21-6 lead with nine minutes, 49 seconds left in the game.

“I turned around, and there was a guy standing there,” Hatajik said. “I looked over the middle of the field, and it was empty, so I said, ‘I'm going that way.' Open field, open green. That's the way to go.”

The Vikings moved the ball to the Stonington 20 on their next drive. They ran a sweep with Hatajik on first down, but he found a defender in his way before he could turn the corner near the Bears' sideline. Hatajik changed course and was running down the East Lyme sideline by the time he scored with 3:57 remaining in the game.

“Stonington scouted us really well,” Hatajik said. “When we were running the sweep, their line just shifted towards the sideline. I turned around and it was empty. My quarterback, Chris Salemme, he set a nice block and I ran toward the end zone.”

East Lyme scored the game's first touchdown on what was an epic journey. It started the drive at its own 1-yard line with 6:43 left in the third quarter.

Twenty four plays later (yes, 24), Isaac Tomblin scored on a 1-yard run with seven minutes left in the first half. Tomblin finished with 105 yards on 26 carries. Matt Malcom made the first of his four extra points to give East Lyme a 7-0 lead.

Stonington struck back in just three plays with sophomore Josh Curtin scoring on a 55-yard run with 5:38 left in the half. The extra point failed. The Bears struggled to the move the ball the rest of the game. They finished with 161 yards.

“We broke the big one,” Bears' head coach A.J. Massengale said, “(but) their kids (East Lyme) played very well and made it hard for us to get things going.”

East Lyme came right back with Hatajik getting behind his defender in the end zone for a 26-yard pass from Salemme with 2:51 remaining in the first half.

“He's just a special player,” Bagos said about Hatajik. “He's unbelievable.” n.griffen@theday.com