Laube Makes History With First Collegiate TD

Former Westhampton Beach star halfback Dylan Laube made University of New Hampshire history September 14 with his first touchdown of his collegiate career.

Freshman quarterback Max Brosmer hit the redshirt freshman with a pass down the right sideline, and Laube cut to the middle, burst between two would-be tacklers at midfield, and raced to the end zone for a third-quarter score that accounted for one of the longest pass plays in program history — covering 86 yards. It was a play he’d been practicing all week, but little did the running back know the momentous move he’d made.

“It was so surreal, and it’s an honor to have that,” Laube said of his catch-and-run. “It was such an awesome feeling getting my first touchdown, especially against a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team like Florida International University, but at the end of the day, I’m just trying to help my team win, and now, I’m already focused on our next matchup against University of Rhode Island.”

The Wildcats ran through the play earlier in the game, and Laube beat out his guard, but the pass wasn’t thrown his way. It still gave the boys a boost of confidence knowing that it could be used as a weapon at some point.

“We put in that play specifically for Florida International University because we knew they were a big man-on-man team,” Laube said. “That play was a total team effort. The blocking was unbelievable. Our whole offense, especially our receivers, were blocking downfield for me. Also, my quarterback threw a perfect ball right to me, so all I had to do was cut between my defenders — tried to stay up with the stiff arm — and keep my balance, then run as fast as I could into the end zone. But without this team, I couldn’t have done it.”

The Brosmer-to-Laube connection put UNH back in front, 17-13, with 10:20 left in the third, but was ultimately part of the Wildcats’ second loss of the season, a hard-fought and rainy 30-17 defeat September 14.

“As an offense, we were just playing together,” said senior running back Evan Gray. “We handled adversity well. We ran the ball well. As soon as the run game got open, the pass game got open as well. Everybody did their job. I’m happy with the way we played.”

Laube led Westhampton to a 12-0 record and the school’s first Long Island Division III championship by scoring a Long Island-record 47 touchdowns and rushing for a school-record 2680 yards on 249 carries his senior season. In the Long Island game, the Carl A. Hansen Award winner, given to the top football player in Suffolk County, rushed for 227 yards and school-record six touchdowns. Laube’s career numbers included 101 scores, and 6495 rushing yards on 687 carries. He caught an additional 14 touchdowns and 64 passes for 1234 yards. Five of his touchdowns were scored on kickoff returns.

The Hurricanes alumnus caught three passes for 87 yards, rushed for another 36, and racked up 24 on a kickoff return. With his 147 all-purpose yards, Laube moves to fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association in all-purpose yards with 129.5 per game.

“It was definitely a huge stepping stone for me, and I hope to get many more,” Laube said. “The goal is to help this team win at all costs. It was awesome just being in that atmosphere, especially with my parents there to see me play.”

desiree@indyeastend.com