There were zero offensive touchdowns for the first time in the history of the 41st Hardy Bowl as the defenses locked down with East Hardy senior Adam Baker recording both defensive touchdowns on a fumble recovery return and a pick six interception giving the Cougars their sixth consecutive victory over the Yellow Jackets resulting in 14-3 final which was the third lowest scoring game of the series last Friday in Baker.
This decade has belonged to the Cougars (5-2) having won the Hardy Bowl eight times since 2011, however, Moorefield (4-4) holds the all-time series advantage 28-15 including playoffs dating back to[private] 1979.
“Ecstatic. I will use that word to describe this win. We have been playing East Hardy defense and it falls on our offense to pick up the slack. That was true tonight. I was proud of how the boys handled themselves tonight on the field and didn’t participate in extracurricular activities. Defensively we executed the game plan, but offensively we have a lot of work to do and that’s what practice is for,” East Hardy coach Devon Orndorff remarked.
“Adam [Baker] has come a long ways. He has been a player for us since his sophomore year. I am really excited for him and proud of him. He’s had a pick before, but he’s always joking about about his next pick. He didn’t say anything about his fumble recovery, didn’t predict that one. He’s no Nostradamus. He is that defensive line leader, a verbal leader. This was a good Moorefield team and out of the last five games, this is the most quality opponent we’ve played. That’s why it is the biggest win for us.”
The opening kickoff went out of bounds placing the Yellow Jackets on the 35-yard line and the initial play was a flea flicker with Matthew Jenkins taking the handoff and pitching back to quarterback Brent Moran throwing an incomplete pass as an offensive holding call was assessed.
Moving the line of scrimmage back to the 19-yard line occurred and Jenkins was tackled for a loss by a pride of Cougars led by Adam Baker.
Moorefield’s Trevor Shoemaker made a reception and was tackled by East Hardy’s Andrew Tharp on a ten yard advancement, setting up third down and long.
After an incomplete pass, the Yellow Jackets punted and East Hardy’s Christian Dove had a huge return waived off on a blindside block putting the Cougars on their own 37-yard line at 10:03.
A seven yard run by Alex Miller was the first play for East Hardy.
On the ensuing play, there was a fumble on the pitch by Dove and Moorefield’s Coleman Mongold made the recovery at the East Hardy 36-yard line.
Moorefield’s Dequavious Kornegay was tackled for a one-yard loss by East Hardy’s Alex Miller, Noah Miller, Brayden Ritchie and Baker, then stopped for no gain by Noah Miller.
Jenkins rushed for eight yards and was forced out of bounds at the 29-yard line forcing a decision on fourth down and the Yellow Jackets elected to go for a field goal attempt.
Moorefield’s Atikilt Tamiru nailed the 46-yard field goal at the 7:33 mark for a 3-nil advantage.
During the kickoff, East Hardy’s Alex Miller made a big return and was taken down by Tamiru at the Yellow Jackets 45-yard line.
There was a stoppage in the action as Moorefield senior Jason Kenyon was lying on the ground after a hit away from the ball and an ambulance came carting him off the field with both teams kneeling and praying.
East Hardy’s Alex Miller picked up four yards with a tackle by Moorefield’s Vincent Cyrus and Blake Funk, then Dove dashed to the outside for another four yards and was brought down by Jackson Weese.
Miller gained a first down for the Cougars on an eight yard run and was tackled by Shoemaker.
Dove kept his feet moving driving through the middle before being hauled down by Jenkins on a four yard pickup.
After an errant pass, Dove escaped danger in the backfield as the Cougars were penalized for a low block pushing the line of scrimmage back to the 40-yard line for third down and super long.
An incomplete pass on third down yielded a punt into the end zone for a touchback.
Moran faked a handoff and East Hardy’s Aaron Fishel and Baker weren’t fooled making a tackle in the backfield for a five-yard loss.
Fishel stopped Moran for no gain and Kornegay notched one yard for the Yellow Jackets with a stop by Noah Miller leading to a punt.
The Cougars made a fair catch on their own 40-yard line and Alex Miller rushed for nine yards dashing to the outside with Cyrus making the stop.
There was a holding call on the next play, then Dove was chased out of the pocket and was in the middle of being brought down when he made an intentional grounding throw.
East Hardy faced third down and 24 yards, then Dove connected with wide open receiver Noah Lang for a 50-yard reception with Jenkins tracking him down at the Moorefield 24-yard line.
Miller was dropped for a one yard loss by Cyrus to end the first quarter with the Yellow Jackets holding a 3-0 edge.
“I am proud of them. We are still making mistakes here and there that we have to cut out that lead to big plays. Like I told the coaches last week, small things lead to big things. When you don’t carry momentum and don’t do the right things on either side of the ball or all facets of the game, then things are going to happen and lead to big things for the other team,” Moorefield Coach Matt Altobello commented.
“The Hardy Bowl always has a different energy. You put these two teams on the field together and it definitely will be a different energy. At that point, I am proud of my guys doing their job. When it came down to it, they played the game the way it is supposed to be played. Credit East Hardy, that’s a good football team. If they keep running this way, they are going to be in the playoffs. That’s how it is. If we want to even have a sniff at the playoffs, we have to win the next two. More importantly, we have to concentrate on this week and win this game.”
Starting the second quarter, Dove entered the red zone on a six yard keeper and was tackled by Moorefield’s Roger Myers.
East Hardy’s Alex Miller added five yards and was stopped by Cyrus and Funk, then dropped for a one yard loss by Seth Wilson and Riley Hedrick.
Dove was chased outside and threw an errant pass, then rushed for three yards with a tackle by Wilson and Cyrus.
The Cougars failed to convert the fourth down red zone possession on an incomplete pass.
Moorefield’s Brent Moran took the ball up the gut and was nailed by East Hardy’s Austin Alt jarring the ball loose with Adam Baker picking up the fumble returning it nine yards for a touchdown at the 9:36 mark carrying Dequavious Kornegay into the end zone and the extra point attempt by Alex Miller was blocked by Vincent Cyrus as the Cougars took a 6-3 lead.
The Yellow Jackets still weren’t able to get a first down going three and out with a punt after a four yard run by Jenkins stopped by Baker and two incomplete passes.
The Cougars started at their 27-yard line and Dove gained six yards and Miller notched a first down on an eight yard carry with stops by Cyrus and Malachi Hinger.
Dove added four more yards with a stop by Hedrick, the Wilson led a swarm of Yellow Jackets stopping Miller for no gain.
Dove garnered a first down reaching the Moorefield 45-yard line on a ten yard keeper.
A bad snap was lassoed by Dove losing seven yards, then Dove added a three yard run.
Another bad snap resulted in a fumble recovered by Moorefield’s Ethan Sines at the East Hardy 48-yard line with 4:44 remaining in the second quarter.
There was a fumble on the handoff exchange with East Hardy’s Adam Baker making the recovery changing possession in just three seconds at the Yellow Jackets 44-yard line.
After a short gain by Dove, the Cougars went to the air and Moorefield’s Matthew Jenkins made an interception at the 21-yard line with 3:52 to go.
Three incomplete passes with pressure from Fishel led to a Moorefield punt and a fair catch at the East Hardy 40-yard line.
East Hardy’s Brayden Ritchie made a 16-yard reception on a pass from Dove and was tracked down by Cyrus at the Moorefield 44-yard line.
There was a personal foul penalty for a shove made by the Cougars on the next play backing up the line of scrimmage to the East Hardy 44-yard line.
Miller made a catch for ten yards, then Dove dashed outside for two yards resulting in a fourth down and East Hardy punted with 1:31 left.
The Yellow Jackets were pinned at the eight yard line, but got breathing room on a 12-yard run by Jenkins for the initial Moorefield first down of the first half with a tackle by Lang and Dove.
Jenkins added a second first down on a ten yard carry and was stopped by Alt and Dawson Price.
Myers made a 15-yard first down catch moving the chains at the 45-yard line with just under a minute to go in the half and was tackled by Alt.
After an incomplete pass, Moorefield sent airmail again and this time East Hardy’s Adam Baker made a pick six interception returning the ball 50 yards for the score with 18 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
The Cougars added a two-point conversion catch by Cole Pusl leaping along the side of the end zone to bolster the lead to 14-3.
“I’m very excited. All four years, we’ve won this game. It is crazy. I never imagined I’d be able to do it once in a game, let alone twice in a game. I scored all the touchdowns on the scoreboard, that’s crazy. I am considered a leader of our team and I was a captain out there today,” East Hardy senior Adam Baker stated.
“This guy single-handedly won this game for us,” East Hardy assistant coach Stevie Miller added.
East Hardy’s Aaron Fishel batted the ball down on the ensuing Moorefield possession and the last play of the half was a seven yard catch by Jenkins into Cougars territory.
The Cougars muffed the second half kickoff with Dove recovering the ball just before being tackled by Moorefield’s Dequavious Kornegay, but there was a hard hit on the back of Moorefield senior Trace Tanner causing him to be on the ground with ambulance assistance required.
East Hardy started at the nine yard line and Dove was chased out of bounds by Hinger and Coleman Mongold on a four yard run, then Cyrus and Jenkins tackled Dove for a one yard loss.
After an incomplete pass was defending by Mongold, the Cougars punted the ball with the Yellow Jackets starting at the East Hardy 40-yard line.
Kornegay was tacked by Dove on a two yard run, then Jenkins picked up four yards and was stopped by Tharp and Hinton Shifflett.
Jenkins was stopped for no gain at the 34-yard line by Alt and Price, then the Yellow Jackets brought the field goal unit out.
Tamiru missed the 51-yard field goal attempt with 8:43 remaining in the third quarter.
The Cougars burned over four minutes off the clock gaining three first downs including a 28-yard one-handed catch by Tharp and covering about 50 yards in 11 plays before a turnover on downs with 4:00 left in the frame.
Moran gained a first down for the Yellow Jackets on an 11-yard run, then on third down Jenkins converted a first down on a four yard gain into Cougars territory at the 49-yard line.
Shoemaker made a catch on the next play, but lost the ball and the fumble was recovered by East Hardy at the 35-yard line with 1:35 to go in the third quarter.
The Cougars made several plays moving the ball six yards to end the third quarter, then punted to begin the final stanza and a deflection on the kick with a roll into the punter almost drew a penalty which was eventually waived off.
Moorefield started at the 20-yard line and Jenkins gained four yards and a pride of Cougars made the stop, then East Hardy’s Dayton Miller made a tackle for a loss on Jenkins.
East Hardy’s Mason Miller and Andrew Tharp denied Kornegay anything on the next play, then Moorefield punter Atikilt Tamiru fielded a low snap punting the ball literally off the ground soccer style.
The Cougars began possession at the Moorefield 48-yard line and Dove rushed 14 yards for a first down and was stopped by Weese and Myers.
Dove added five yards and was tackled by Jenkins and Hinger.
Mason Miller picked up one more yard for the Cougars and was hauled down by Hinger and Funk.
The ensuing pass by Dove was intercepted by Moorefield’s Coleman Mongold and returned to the 43-yard line.
After an incomplete pass, Moorefield’s Brent Moran was forced out of bounds by East Hardy’s Price on a four yard loss.
Price recorded an interception for the Cougars on Moran’s next pass and returned the ball to the Moorefield 44-yard line with 6:48 remaining.
Moorefield’s Funk and Cyrus garnered a sack, then East Hardy’s Alex Miller managed two carries for a total of 14 yards before a penalty on the Cougars led to a punt.
A running into the kicker penalty made it a manageable fourth down and one yard with Miller creating a first down for East Hardy on a one yard run with a tackle by Moorefield’s Kooper Riggleman.
The Yellow Jackets came up with a couple stops and called timeouts as the Cougars faced fourth down with 2:54 left, but East Hardy’s Christian Dove connected with Noah Lang to convert for a first down on a seven yard pass.
Austin Alt moved the chains on second down with a 17-yard run deep into the red zone at the five yard line with a minute and change to go.
East Hardy’s Aaron Fishel recovered a fumble in the backfield and rushed three yards on the final play of the Hardy Bowl with the Cougars emerging with a 14-3 victory.
The Yellow Jackets travel to Petersburg for the Summit Bowl this Friday and the 90th meeting in the series dating back to 1933 with Moorefield holding a 63-22-4 advantage.[/private]
East Hardy visits Franklin to face undefeated Pendleton County for the 23rd time in a series dating back to 1998 with the Wildcats holding a 13-9 edge.