In a game that would find the Harrisburg Bulldogs down at two different points Friday night, the combination of seniors Tanner Lanes and Jace Carr came through in a big way to provide all the scoring the team would need in a 20-16 victory over Class 1 District 5 foe Sweet Springs. 

 “Sweet Springs certainly has our respect,” said Harrisburg coach Steve Hopkins. “We played what I call a really ‘choppy’ first half with four drives that we didn’t finish, and to their credit, they stopped us inside the red zone. Sometimes it was due to a penalty or a bad pitch or something else.”

In the first quarter, Harrisburg was able to score in the air on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Lanes to Carr to take a 6-0 lead after a failed two-point conversion.

That lead held until the second quarter when the Greyhounds scored and kicked the extra point to take a 7-6 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Neither team was able to put the ball in the end zone in the third quarter and the score remained 7-6. “We played better in the third quarter and then another penalty put us in long yardage which we couldn’t overcome,” said Hopkins.

Although not able to score, Harrisburg sustained a late third-quarter drive as the period ended. In the first minute of the fourth quarter, Carr grabbed a seven-yard touchdown pass from Lanes. After the two-point conversion, Harrisburg held to a 14-7 lead. “At that point, it felt like we were ready to take control,” Hopkins said.

Sweet Springs, however, had other ideas as it scored a touchdown but failed to convert the two-point conversion. The Greyhounds then tacked on a field goal to give themselves a 16-14 lead with 2:59 left to go in the game.

With a light rain falling and the wind in their faces, the Bulldogs set out from their own 20-yard line. Despite a penalty that set them back, Lanes again found Carr for a 14-yard scoring pass to give them a 20-16 lead after a failed two-point conversion.

With only 40 seconds remaining, Sweet Springs began a drive that would end with Harrisburg stopping the Greyhound hook-and-ladder play as time expired. “It was a great finish to a great game,” said Hopkins.

Carr found the end zone three times on the evening, tying his own school record. He has now scored three touchdowns in a game four times in his three years as a varsity player. His eight catches Friday night also set a school record and he gained 145 yards with his longest being 36.

Although Carr was the only player to record a touchdown, he was not alone in the pass-catching department. Junior classmates Austin Darwent, and Braden Wyatt each caught two passes for 25 and 17 yards, respectively, while junior Anthony Alicea and sophomore Hayven Samuels each caught a pass, Alicea for 30 yards, and Samuels for 13.

Lanes was responsible for throwing those passes as he finished the night with 14 completions on 31 attempts for 221 yards and three touchdowns.

Samuels led the Bulldogs in rushing, carrying the ball 17 times for 80 yards. Lanes rushed 12 times for 68 yards while senior Gavin Curtis ran four times for eight yards.

On the defensive side, senior Tanner Fike was responsible for five solo tackles, six assists, and one sack.

Wyatt had four solo tackles and assisted on 12 tackles, while Carr had three takedowns.

Three seniors, Curtis, Brayton Stephenson, and Austyn Furlong, along with juniors Darwent and Logan Fritts, each recorded two tackles.

Alicea and juniors Samuels, Eric McIntyre, and Gaven Samuels each contributed one tackle.

The Bulldogs hold the top spot in Class 1, District 5 standings as well as the Lewis & Clark standings with their 5-0 record.

This Friday they play host to 1-3 district rival Russellville at 7 p.m before traveling to Fayette to take on their closest rival on October 8. Fayette currently boasts a 4-1 record and faces off against 1-4 Paris on Friday. Harrisburg defeated Paris 48-14 the first week of the season.