(NOTE TO READERS – As 2025 approaches, the SBJ is featuring some of our favorite content from this year. This story about Haughton High School’s final football game this season originally ran in the Journal on Nov. 9. More favorites will follow before New Year’s Day. Enjoy!)
By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
HAUGHTON – Jessica and Robby Cubley stood nervously on the Haughton sideline as the Bucs took the field for a first down play from the St. Louis 30. In the backfield, their son Hunter tried to make sure he lined up correctly because he knew this was going to be the biggest play of his life.
“He’s pumped,” Jessica said.
Bucs quarterback Taylor Weathersby took the snap and turned to hand the ball to Cubley. The crowd on the rainy night at Harold Harlan Stadium held its collective breath because everyone knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Cubley waited for a hole to open on the left side of the Haughton line and it did, just as the Bucs’ coaching staff had planned when they drew up the play specifically designed for Cubley. The play is called the “Puddin’ Special” because that’s what everybody calls Hunter.
Once he got through the St. Louis defense, Cubley raced for the goal line, escorted by teammate Preston Peters.
He had done it. Hunter “Puddin” Cubley, the smallest kid on the bench, had scored a touchdown for Haughton.
His teammates raced to the end zone to congratulate him, which was to be expected. What wasn’t as expected was that the St. Louis defensive players did so, too. “Their coach told me they had even practiced that,” Haughton coach Matthew Sewell said.
As he broke through the mass of humanity in the end zone, Hubley emerged and headed toward the Haughton bench, and gave it the Johnny Manziel “money-money” hand gesture. A dream had come true and Cubley was enjoying every last moment of it.
And after that, the Haughton-St. Louis game actually started.
This has not been the greatest of seasons for the Bucs. They came into the game on a four-game losing streak and were at the bottom of the district standings. However, for 10 seconds before Friday night’s game, no one was concerned about that in the least.
It was a night to remember for the Haughton football community to celebrate. They celebrated a 41-20 win over St. Louis to close the season with a 3-7 record. There were 609 yards in total offense, but it was the 30 yards that didn’t count that will probably leave the most lasting legacy.
Yes, you have probably seen it before. A special needs student is given the opportunity to score a touchdown in a situation where everyone knows what is going on. But that doesn’t make it any less significant, especially when you see it played out before you.
When you see the joy in the faces of Jessica and Robby Cubley on the sideline.
When you hear the crowd roar like you’ve never heard before as he crosses the goal line.
When you hear Weathersby say later “it was a special moment for me.”
And even when you see Cubley later in the night on the Haughton bench, still wearing his #84 jersey and the eye black he wore — just for his one play — still smeared all over his face.
You will not find Cubley on the Haughton roster because he’s not actually on the team. But he is always there.
Always.
“He’s not even in our football class,” Sewell said. “But somehow he keeps finding a way to get to practice every day. We practiced at 9 a.m. on Election Day and he was here at 8:30. He just loves Haughton High School.”
Seniors Gus Beaty and Andrew Markray came up with the idea of setting this up to honor Cubley’s undying commitment to a team he’s not even on.
“That’s the great thing about high school sports,” Sewell said. “You don’t have to actually be in the game for it to impact you. It’s really special to see a kid like that and what it means to him. And to see what it means to everybody.”
Cubley’s 30-yard run was a foreshadowing of what was to come from the Bucs, who had six plays longer than that against St. Louis for their top offensive output of the year. Weathersby had his third straight game of 350 yards or more, completing 15 of 22 for 374 yards with four touchdowns.
Zu Davis and Jakobe Delaney each caught two TD passes.
Helped by a 98-yard run with 1:01 to play, sophomore Brandon Craig ran for 159 yards on 11 carries.
And senior Hunter Cubley had one carry for 30 yards. That might not show up in the statistics, but make no mistake about it.
It counted.
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com