After two weeks of being carried by their defense in back-to-back shutouts of Clay County and Eminence, the Harlan County offense stepped up big in a 48-18 rout of visiting East Ridge on Friday in the First Priority Bowl, scoring on seven of seven possessions while overcoming some big plays by the Warriors’ offense.
The Bears rolled up 325 yards on the ground, led by sophomore quarterback. Brayden Morris with 130 yards on 15 carries. Senior running back Jaycee Brown added 80 yards on eight carries with three touchdowns. Junior running back Jonah Sharp contributed 90 yards on 13 carries.
“It was a good night offensively even though we aren’t staying on our blocks. We’re making contact but not staying on plays, and that’s causing some runs for losses,” Harlan County coach Jacob Saylor said. “I was proud of the way our running backs ran. Brayden ran it well, and so did Jonah and Jayce. I was proud of the way we played the second half.”
Unlike their two previous wins, the Bears struggled to cover receivers on Friday. Saylor said the Warriors’ unusual Single Wing style of offense, with two players in backfield lined up at quarterback, caused confusion for his defense.
“They have two quarterbacks, and you don’t know where the ball is going,” Saylor said. “It’s hard to find the football. It’s hard to replicate that in practice. We knew we’d be challenged by that defense. Coach (Donnie) Burdine does a good job with that offense. The second half we made some adjustments and did much better. It took us a while to get adjusted to it.”
Harlan County drove 55 yards in nine plays on its opening possession with Morris going the final 2 yards for a touchdown. Sharp added the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead with 6:51 left in the first quarter.
Talon Hopkins scored the first touchdown of the season against the HCHS defense as he broke free up the middle for a 48-yard run. Morgan Slone was stopped on the two-point conversion attempt.
The Bears answered with a 65-yard, eight play drive that featured a 25-yard touchdown run by Brown. Austin Tye missed the extra point, and the Bears led 14-6 with 11:30 to play in the first half.
Another big play by Hopkins covered 52 yards after a short pass from freshman quarterback Canaan Ramey. Cole Ratliff was stopped on the two-point conversion as the Bears held a 14-12 lead with 8:26 left in the half.
With his Bears facing a third-and-11, Morris found senior tight end Gunner Burkhart open in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass to cap a nine-play, 57-yard march that featured two first down runs by Brown and one each from Sharp and Morris. Tye’s extra point was off the mark and the Bears led 20-12 with 4:45 to play in the half.
A 6-yard punt by the Warriors early in the third quarter, the only punt of the night, set the Bears up for a five-play, 34-yard drive. Morris had three carries in the series that ended with Brown’s 6-yard run. Ryan Day was stopped on the two-point attempt after the snap was bobbled, and the Bars led 26-12 with 7:32 left in the third quarter.
Another open receiver kept the Warriors in the game as Ratliff, who took over at quarterback after Ramey was injured, connected with a wide-open Ayden Mullins for a 25-yard catch to the HC 1. Slone scored on the next play to cut the deficit to 26-18 with 3:15 to play in the third quarter.
Harlan County answered with an eight-play, 62-yard march capped by Hunter Napier powering his way through the East Ridge defense for a 13-yard TD run. Morris made a nice cut on an option play for the two-point conversion and a. 34-18 lead with 16.5 seconds left in the third period.
The Bears got a stop early in the fourth quarter after three incomplete passes. Sharp ran 39 yards to the East Ridge 1 in a three-play drive that ended with his 1-yard run on the next play. Tye hit the extra point for a 41-18 lead.
A Brown interception set up the final HCHS touchdown. Morris and Brown each had long runs before Brown went in from the 8 with 3:24 left. Tye closed the scoring with his extra point.
Harlan County (3-0) will face its toughest test of the season thus far on Friday at Bell County against one of the state’s top 3A teams. East Ridge (1-2) will play host to Prestonsburg.
“I told them it gets real now going up on the mountain next week,” Saylor said. “Our kids are ready. I don’t know if they were looking ahead, but I told them if we start off like we did tonight they will have a running clock by halftime. It’s very important to come out in practice next week and stay focused. It will take a team effort.”