Harrisburg fell 56-0 at South Callaway on Friday night in Mokane as injuries continued to thin an already young roster.

South Callaway celebrated homecoming with the Central State 8 win.

Injuries continue to affect an already small Harrisburg roster devoid of any seniors. 

“The injury bug continues to be an issue for our young group,” said first-year Harrisburg coach Parker Howard. “I am very proud of our guys who continue to compete for four quarters and are showing improvement each week. The scoreboard doesn’t always show the full story. We had some successful drives on offense where we eventually made mistakes that hurt ourselves more than South Callaway hurting us.”

The Bulldogs managed 27 yards rushing on 21 carries and 120 yards passing. Sophomore quarterback Brody Combs completed nine of 28 passes for 120 yards with an interception. Junior Kadyn Weldon led the team with 112 all-purpose yards, catching six passes for 47 and rushing eight times for 21 yards. Junior Hunter Winscott added 12 yards on nine carries and a 28-yard reception.

Coach Howard confirmed that Combs is now officially Harrisburg’s starting quarterback. Weldon returned this year as the starter but was sidelined with an injury in Week 2. Combs stepped in, and coach Parker Howard confirmed he will start the remaining games behind center. Weldon is now playing slot receiver and running back while running some wildcat quarterback plays, he said.

Defensively, junior Will Cole led with 14 tackles (3 solo) and one for a loss. Weldon and junior Roman Schaffer each had 10, each with a tackle for loss. Sophomore Rylan Smiley forced and recovered a fumble.

South Callaway senior quarterback Aiden Jenkins scored twice in the first quarter, including a 21-yard run on the opening drive, and finished with four first-half touchdowns to lead 42-0 at halftime.

Howard said the message to his players is to keep working, take it one play at a time, stay positive, and enjoy the game and the process.

“We are making improvements. We are gaining valuable experience. And if it was easy to do, everyone would do it,” he said. “Our guys are sticking together and buying into the program, and as a coach, that is all you can ask for.”

Harrisburg drops to 1-6 overall and 1-2 in the CS8. The Bulldogs return home to host No. 3 Russellville (7-0, 3-0) on Friday for Senior Night. They close the regular season next week at rival Fayette (2-5, 1-2).

Harrisburg is currently sitting at the bottom of the standings among a field of five teams among the Class 1 District 7. The Bulldogs will likely face a play-in game against fourth-place Van Far (1-6) in the first round of district action on Friday, October 30.