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Harrisburg edges Salisbury to lead race for L&C crown

2-point conversions mark key difference Friday

Justin Addison, Editor/Publisher
Posted 9/28/22

The Harrisburg Bulldogs took care of business at home Friday night, emerging as the only Lewis & Clark team with an unbeaten conference record after taking down Salisbury 14-12.

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Harrisburg edges Salisbury to lead race for L&C crown

2-point conversions mark key difference Friday

Posted

The Harrisburg Bulldogs took care of business at home Friday night, emerging as the only Lewis & Clark team with an unbeaten conference record after taking down Salisbury 14-12.

Heading into Friday’s contest, three teams held perfect conference records. After Fayette lost at Marceline, Harrisburg’s victory means the Bulldogs have a clear shot at winning the Lewis & Clark crown. That’s after losing senior Anthony Alicea at quarterback in week 2 of the season, and junior Hayden Samuels the week prior. While Samuels is likely out for the season, Alicea is able to continue to play, albeit at running back and on defense.

“It means that we do control what we can control,” Harrisburg coach Steve Hopkins said about leading the conference. “That is what we can focus on.”

While the Bulldogs hold the top spot in the conference, their claim to the title is not yet been guaranteed. Harrisburg still must face L&C teams Westran, Fayette, and Scotland County in the final three weeks of the regular season.

In Friday night’s game against Salisbury, Alicea got right to work in the first quarter. He put Harrisburg on the board first with a two-yard touchdown run. Following a successful two-point conversion, the Bulldogs finished the opening frame ahead 8-0.

The score was set up by an interception by senior Logan Fritz, who hauled in the Salisbury pass attempt right where Harrisburg’s opening drive stalled.

“We were right back in business. This time we drove it right in,” Hopkins said. “That was a great answer. Without Logan’s interception, who knows what would have happened.”

Salisbury was able to answer back with a five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. But the two-point conversion attempt failed to keep the Panthers behind 8-6. 

Two plays later, Harrisburg made it an eight-point game when senior receiver Austin Darwent hauled in a 65-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Trace Combs for the Bulldogs’ second touchdown of the night. The two-point conversion attempt was no good, making the score 14-6 at halftime.

Following nearly a scoreless second half, Salisbury found an opportunity late in the fourth quarter. Harrisburg fumbled a punt snap deep in its own territory. The Panthers took over with the ball on the Bulldogs’ 4-yard line. Their offense punched the ball across the goal line with about two minutes left to play. But again, the two-point conversion failed, allowing the Bulldogs to escape with a 14-12 victory.

A key difference in Friday’s matchup came down to two-point conversion success. Harrisburg was successful on one of its two attempts, while Salisbury failed in both of its tries.

“We just slammed the door on their first two-point try,” Hopkins recalled. “We emphasize it so much.”

Hopkins said his big linemen, while often overlooked in the stat book, made a significant difference in stopping Salisbury’s two-point attempts. He specifically called out freshman Bender Wardrip. “On that two-point conversion, he just swallowed up a kid.”

Harrisburg also benefitted once again from its depth. Now without Alicea at quarterback and running back Samuels, the Bulldogs have had the benefit of large junior and senior classes from which to pull players into the game. On Friday, junior Carter Bremmer made his high school football debut. After sitting out his first two years, Bremmer joined the team this year but was unable to play until Friday as he was recovering from an injury sustained in last year’s fall baseball season. 

“He got to play, and he was a key, key kid,” Hopkins said. “He’s never played high school football. He covered their best receiver. He was really, really crucial. He did a phenomenal job.”

Combs finished the night 11-for-22 under center with a touchdown. He also tossed two interceptions, one of which was in the endzone on Harrisburg’s third drive of the game.

“I think he took a step back this week,” Hopkins said of his young quarterback. “He even said that after the game. He said, ‘coach, I could have done better.’ That’s what a young sophomore goes through.”

Combs assumed the role of quarterback after Alicea went down in week 2.

“He definitely owns it when he makes a mistake,” Hopkins said. “That’s part of the maturity process when growing into the role. That’s huge. He’s become much more aware of the game.”

On the ground, Combs picked up 14 yards on eight attempts. “He surprises you with his speed, and he does a good job of running behind his pads and lowering his body weight,” Hopkins said. “He’s not, in any way, bashful about contact. I’m very proud of him for that. He’ll go get it.”

Alicea led the rushing attack with 81 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Because of Alicea’s shoulder injury, the senior does not see a lot of first- and second-down plays. “On third and long, he went out there and did a great job,” said Hopkins. “He earned every yard on Friday.”

Leading the receivers was Darwent, who caught seven passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. Senior Braden Wyatt finished with one catch for 25 yards.

Wyatt also had a solid night on defense with a team-high four tackles for loss and a quarterback sack. He had five solo tackles and three assists, and also recovered a fumble.

Fritts finished with four tackles and seven assists, with one tackle for loss and one interception. Senior Bryce Rowden had a team-high nine assists to go with four solo tackles, one of which was for a loss of yardage. Senior Harley Whitaker made four solo takedowns with three assists.

Hopkins credited defensive coach Blake Logan and the team’s defense with Friday’s win. Harrisburg spent the night in the nickel defense.

“We knew they were explosive. But we matched up well because we believed we could cover the pass,” Hopkins said. “We have a lot of very skilled defensive backs. We just dominated them on defense.

“I give all the credit to Blake Logan. He does a tremendous job.”

Harrisburg steps out of conference play this week with a bout against Ash Grove. Due to the distance between the two schools, the game will be played at Osage High School on Saturday night, about halfway between Harrisburg and Ash Grove. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Ash Grove sports a senior quarterback who threw and ran for nearly 3,000 yards last year, and has a giant offensive line to protect him. As a junior, Brock Mooneyham passed for 1,600 yards and rushed for 1,300 yards and 39 touchdowns.

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