Hurricanes blow past Crusaders in OT thriller
By Daron Barefoot Sports Reporter -
The Harrells Crusaders were back at home on Friday night, hosting Pamlico County in a little private school versus public school showdown. It was a gorgeous Friday night leading into the Labor Day weekend and the action on the field couldn’t be any tighter. In a game full of swings, Pamlico crept past the Crusaders, rallying from behind for a 36-30 overtime victory.
After the opening toss, it was Pamlico that sent their offense out onto the field first. After the kickoff, the Hurricanes began their drive at their own 20-yard line. With a long pass completion and a pass interference, Pamlico was quickly down to the Crusaders 36-yard line. The drive died there, though, as the Hurricanes turned it over on downs.
Harrells took over with 8:38 left in the first quarter and utilized their ground game. After a pair of long runs, the Crusaders punched in the first touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run by Ky’Reese Dye with 6:03 left in the quarter. The PAT split the uprights and HCA led 7-0.
The next kickoff yielded a touchback, putting the Hurricanes starting once again on their own 20-yard line. Three and out was the result of this drive and Pamlico opted for a punt, after which the Crusaders were back on the field at the Hurricanes 15-yard line after a great return by Samiir Gibbs. Two plays later, Eli Hardison ran the ball in from inside the 5-yard line and the Crusaders had struck again. The PAT was good and with 3:07 left in the first quarter, Harrells led 14-0.
Another kickoff, another touchback and the Hurricanes were on the 20-yard line for the third time. Their first play from scrimmage was a 28-yard pass play down the left side by Jayden Williams, who two more times this drive busted his way through the teeth of the Crusaders defense. With 2:20 on the clock and a timeout on the field, Pamlico was at the HCA 29-yard line.
Though Williams was the man of the drive, it was quarterback Wade Whitaker that called his own number on quarterback dive that found payday. The Hurricanes also converted the 2-point try, and with 1:57 on the clock in the first, the score was 14-8.
After Pamlico’s kickoff, the Crusaders lined up for their next drive at their own 34-yard line. The quarter ended there as play transitioned to the second quarter.
At the start of the quarter, HCA was met with third and long. The play that resulted was near the first down marker, but the Crusaders lost a fumble at the 50-yard line and Pamlico took over there.
Their first play was an explosive one but a holding penalty turned it around and sent the Hurricanes into retrograde. The drive ended in three and out and the Crusaders started their next drive at their own 40-yard line with 9:17 left in the half.
Their drive was also three and out and possession went back to Pamlico at the Hurricanes 27-yard line. A 54-yard pass hookup quickly set Pamlico up down at the HCA 14-yard line, where the Hurricanes were eyeing another score to tighten things up. Facing third and 10 with 5:04 left in the first half, they burned their final timeout to regroup. Out of the break, this Hurricanes drive fizzled as they turned the ball over on downs just inside the 5-yard line.
That’s where Harrells took over with just inside 5:00 to go before the half.
Chamani Newton got his name called and the freshman ball carrier juked his way through the defense and bust open a long run down to the Hurricanes 4-yard line. There, the Crusaders offense sputtered as the Pamlico defense was making a strong goal line stand. With 1:17 left in the half, Harrells spent their final timeout to game plan the upcoming third down play from the 12-yard line. The play that was called produced a false start penalty, which sent the Crusaders back to the 17-yard line and HCA failed to find the end zone.
They turned the ball over at the 17 and the Hurricanes had 53 seconds to work with. With no timeouts and a quick-moving clock, Pamlico was moving in a hurry-up offense. This produced a fumble with 13 seconds left and Harrells took over in plus territory.
The Crusaders took a knee, though, and the halftime score was 14-8.
At the start of the second half, neither teamed achieved any success. HCAs first possession yielded a three and out while Pamlico’s ensuing possession ended in a lost punt down in Crusaders territory.
Harrells’ ensuing drive quickly went the other direction as a big run by Hardison and a converted fourth down put HCA at the Pamlico 33-yard line. This drive slowed way down and burned a huge chunk of clock.
The result was the third quarter quickly ending with the score still sitting at 14-8.
Harrells had third and goal at the 7-yard line as play picked up in the fourth quarter, hoping to secure a score for some insurance points. This goal was accomplished as Ethan Spell hooked up with Dashaun McKoy for a 7-yard TD pass play, cashing in on a big score for the Crusaders with 11:54 left in the game. The 2-point try was also converted from Spell to Case Barber, making it 22-8.
Pamlico, now moving with a sense of urgency and benefiting from a 15-yard face mask penalty, was quickly into HCA territory with 10:30 on the clock. Then, with 9:35 on the clock, Whitaker connected with Zymire Harper on a 41-yard touchdown hookup for Pamlico. Whitaker then hit Antoine King for the 2-point conversion and the game was tight once again at 22-16.
After muffing the kickoff, the Crusaders had the ball on their own 11-yard line. Absolute disaster struck with Harrells facing third down. On a run up the middle, the Crusaders fumbled the ball at the 18-yard line with 7:55 left in regulation.
One play later, it was the Whitaker-Harper duo again, as the pair connected on a 19-yard hook up to tie the game up at 22-22 pending a 2-point conversion. This conversion was once again good, and for the first time all night, Pamlico lead 24-22 with 7:50 left.
There was another mishap on the ensuing kickoff which put Harrells back in their own territory once again at the 19-yard line. Then, an intentional grounding penalty shoved the Crusaders way back in the shadow of their own goalposts. Harrells was never able to recover and with 6:52 left in the game they opted for a punt.
The punt didn’t clear midfield and the Hurricanes had possession at the HCA 40-yard line.
As expected, Pamlico turned to their ground game and began to milk the clock. With Harrells unable to stop the Hurricanes from converting first downs, Pamlico was inflicting some serious damage. Then, with 3:00 on the clock, PHS had it first and goal at the 10-yard line. Whitaker called his own number on a QB draw and ran it in for the score, making it 30-22. The Crusaders caught a break on the 2-point try, though, as the Hurricanes failed to convert on a dropped pass. As a result, the score was left at 30-22 with 2:54 left in regulation.
Harrells took over on offense on their own 36-yard line with 2:46 left in the game. A decent run and a Pamlico pass interference penalty put the Crusaders in Hurricanes territory with 1:55 left on the clock.
The Crusaders had a miracle answered when Spell hurled a pass toward McKoy. The pass was deflected by a Pamlico defender but McKoy collected the deflection and took it to the house, scoring on a 45-yard touchdown pass to make it 30-28 with 1:47 left. HCA, obviously needing two points, lined up for the 2-point conversion. The conversion was successful on a run by Hardison and the fireworks were on display with a 30-30 tie score.
With 1:40 left in the game, Pamlico was praying for a miracle of their own, lined up at their own 24-yard line.
Instead, it was HCA sophomore Connor Casteen making the play of his life, coming up with a deflected interception to put the Crusaders offense on the field at the Pamlico 27-yard line with under a minute left.
With time running low, Ethan Spell lined up for a 40-yard game-winning field goal with six seconds left. The kick was a great one and had the distance. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, though, it missed just inches to the right and the score went into overtime tied at 30-30.
The Crusaders got the ball first in the OT possession, but failed to get points after going four and out. With that, a PHS score would end the game.
Unfortunately for Harrells, that’s exactly what happened. The Hurricanes ran a reverse on third and 15 and went all the way in for the score, ending the game with a 36-30 victory as the guest sidelines erupted in jubilation.
Hardison and Newton lead the Crusaders ground game with 97 and 95 yards respectively. In the air, Spell went 5-of-10 with 63 yards and two touchdowns.
With the loss, Harrells is now 1-2 on the season. They are on a bye week next week and will travel to Wake Christian on Friday, Sep. 16. Kick off is 7 p.m.
By Daron Barefoot Sports Reporter -
The Harrells Crusaders were back at home on Friday night, hosting Pamlico County in a little private school versus public school showdown. It was a gorgeous Friday night leading into the Labor Day weekend and the action on the field couldn’t be any tighter. In a game full of swings, Pamlico crept past the Crusaders, rallying from behind for a 36-30 overtime victory.
After the opening toss, it was Pamlico that sent their offense out onto the field first. After the kickoff, the Hurricanes began their drive at their own 20-yard line. With a long pass completion and a pass interference, Pamlico was quickly down to the Crusaders 36-yard line. The drive died there, though, as the Hurricanes turned it over on downs.
Harrells took over with 8:38 left in the first quarter and utilized their ground game. After a pair of long runs, the Crusaders punched in the first touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run by Ky’Reese Dye with 6:03 left in the quarter. The PAT split the uprights and HCA led 7-0.
The next kickoff yielded a touchback, putting the Hurricanes starting once again on their own 20-yard line. Three and out was the result of this drive and Pamlico opted for a punt, after which the Crusaders were back on the field at the Hurricanes 15-yard line after a great return by Samiir Gibbs. Two plays later, Eli Hardison ran the ball in from inside the 5-yard line and the Crusaders had struck again. The PAT was good and with 3:07 left in the first quarter, Harrells led 14-0.
Another kickoff, another touchback and the Hurricanes were on the 20-yard line for the third time. Their first play from scrimmage was a 28-yard pass play down the left side by Jayden Williams, who two more times this drive busted his way through the teeth of the Crusaders defense. With 2:20 on the clock and a timeout on the field, Pamlico was at the HCA 29-yard line.
Though Williams was the man of the drive, it was quarterback Wade Whitaker that called his own number on quarterback dive that found payday. The Hurricanes also converted the 2-point try, and with 1:57 on the clock in the first, the score was 14-8.
After Pamlico’s kickoff, the Crusaders lined up for their next drive at their own 34-yard line. The quarter ended there as play transitioned to the second quarter.
At the start of the quarter, HCA was met with third and long. The play that resulted was near the first down marker, but the Crusaders lost a fumble at the 50-yard line and Pamlico took over there.
Their first play was an explosive one but a holding penalty turned it around and sent the Hurricanes into retrograde. The drive ended in three and out and the Crusaders started their next drive at their own 40-yard line with 9:17 left in the half.
Their drive was also three and out and possession went back to Pamlico at the Hurricanes 27-yard line. A 54-yard pass hookup quickly set Pamlico up down at the HCA 14-yard line, where the Hurricanes were eyeing another score to tighten things up. Facing third and 10 with 5:04 left in the first half, they burned their final timeout to regroup. Out of the break, this Hurricanes drive fizzled as they turned the ball over on downs just inside the 5-yard line.
That’s where Harrells took over with just inside 5:00 to go before the half.
Chamani Newton got his name called and the freshman ball carrier juked his way through the defense and bust open a long run down to the Hurricanes 4-yard line. There, the Crusaders offense sputtered as the Pamlico defense was making a strong goal line stand. With 1:17 left in the half, Harrells spent their final timeout to game plan the upcoming third down play from the 12-yard line. The play that was called produced a false start penalty, which sent the Crusaders back to the 17-yard line and HCA failed to find the end zone.
They turned the ball over at the 17 and the Hurricanes had 53 seconds to work with. With no timeouts and a quick-moving clock, Pamlico was moving in a hurry-up offense. This produced a fumble with 13 seconds left and Harrells took over in plus territory.
The Crusaders took a knee, though, and the halftime score was 14-8.
At the start of the second half, neither teamed achieved any success. HCAs first possession yielded a three and out while Pamlico’s ensuing possession ended in a lost punt down in Crusaders territory.
Harrells’ ensuing drive quickly went the other direction as a big run by Hardison and a converted fourth down put HCA at the Pamlico 33-yard line. This drive slowed way down and burned a huge chunk of clock.
The result was the third quarter quickly ending with the score still sitting at 14-8.
Harrells had third and goal at the 7-yard line as play picked up in the fourth quarter, hoping to secure a score for some insurance points. This goal was accomplished as Ethan Spell hooked up with Dashaun McKoy for a 7-yard TD pass play, cashing in on a big score for the Crusaders with 11:54 left in the game. The 2-point try was also converted from Spell to Case Barber, making it 22-8.
Pamlico, now moving with a sense of urgency and benefiting from a 15-yard face mask penalty, was quickly into HCA territory with 10:30 on the clock. Then, with 9:35 on the clock, Whitaker connected with Zymire Harper on a 41-yard touchdown hookup for Pamlico. Whitaker then hit Antoine King for the 2-point conversion and the game was tight once again at 22-16.
After muffing the kickoff, the Crusaders had the ball on their own 11-yard line. Absolute disaster struck with Harrells facing third down. On a run up the middle, the Crusaders fumbled the ball at the 18-yard line with 7:55 left in regulation.
One play later, it was the Whitaker-Harper duo again, as the pair connected on a 19-yard hook up to tie the game up at 22-22 pending a 2-point conversion. This conversion was once again good, and for the first time all night, Pamlico lead 24-22 with 7:50 left.
There was another mishap on the ensuing kickoff which put Harrells back in their own territory once again at the 19-yard line. Then, an intentional grounding penalty shoved the Crusaders way back in the shadow of their own goalposts. Harrells was never able to recover and with 6:52 left in the game they opted for a punt.
The punt didn’t clear midfield and the Hurricanes had possession at the HCA 40-yard line.
As expected, Pamlico turned to their ground game and began to milk the clock. With Harrells unable to stop the Hurricanes from converting first downs, Pamlico was inflicting some serious damage. Then, with 3:00 on the clock, PHS had it first and goal at the 10-yard line. Whitaker called his own number on a QB draw and ran it in for the score, making it 30-22. The Crusaders caught a break on the 2-point try, though, as the Hurricanes failed to convert on a dropped pass. As a result, the score was left at 30-22 with 2:54 left in regulation.
Harrells took over on offense on their own 36-yard line with 2:46 left in the game. A decent run and a Pamlico pass interference penalty put the Crusaders in Hurricanes territory with 1:55 left on the clock.
The Crusaders had a miracle answered when Spell hurled a pass toward McKoy. The pass was deflected by a Pamlico defender but McKoy collected the deflection and took it to the house, scoring on a 45-yard touchdown pass to make it 30-28 with 1:47 left. HCA, obviously needing two points, lined up for the 2-point conversion. The conversion was successful on a run by Hardison and the fireworks were on display with a 30-30 tie score.
With 1:40 left in the game, Pamlico was praying for a miracle of their own, lined up at their own 24-yard line.
Instead, it was HCA sophomore Connor Casteen making the play of his life, coming up with a deflected interception to put the Crusaders offense on the field at the Pamlico 27-yard line with under a minute left.
With time running low, Ethan Spell lined up for a 40-yard game-winning field goal with six seconds left. The kick was a great one and had the distance. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, though, it missed just inches to the right and the score went into overtime tied at 30-30.
The Crusaders got the ball first in the OT possession, but failed to get points after going four and out. With that, a PHS score would end the game.
Unfortunately for Harrells, that’s exactly what happened. The Hurricanes ran a reverse on third and 15 and went all the way in for the score, ending the game with a 36-30 victory as the guest sidelines erupted in jubilation.
Hardison and Newton lead the Crusaders ground game with 97 and 95 yards respectively. In the air, Spell went 5-of-10 with 63 yards and two touchdowns.
With the loss, Harrells is now 1-2 on the season. They are on a bye week next week and will travel to Wake Christian on Friday, Sep. 16. Kick off is 7 p.m.
