The Cougars frolicked in the mud and pounced with an uncharacteristic ground attack to devour South Harrison 44-7 in Lost Creek last Friday.
East Hardy trudged through the muddy terrain carrying the ball for 272 yards for an effective ground game plan, since the aerial assault wasn’t working with two errant passes on the opening drive and a total of four the entire evening.
“I was pleased with our defensive alignment and speed on Friday. Mud is always the ultimate equalizer, but our boys paid no attention to it and simply executed the game plan,” East Hardy coach Devon Orndorff commented.
“Offensively, we looked a little different tonight than the typical East Hardy scheme. We love throwing the ball in the rain, but the mud proved too problematic for us. We threw 2-of-our-4 passes on the opening drive before I decided to change the game plan. We stuck with the run game the rest of the night and our physicality really showed.”
The Cougars (2-7) defense and special teams stepped up with a pick six, a safety and a kickoff return for a touchdown.
South Harrison (1-7) slipped and fell trying to make tackles in the mud and failed to muster an offensive strategy in the sloppy conditions.
East Hardy quarterback Aden Funkhouser carried the ball 11 times for 69 yards and only threw the ball twice.
Funkhouser recorded the first touchdown for the Cougars on a 24-yard keeper at the 6:00 mark of the first quarter and added the extra point for the 7-0 edge.
The Cougars’ next score came on defense as Andrew Tharp made an interception return for a touchdown (pick six) and Aden Funkhouser added the extra point to close out the first quarter (0:02) with a 14-0 lead.
Chance Dove led East Hardy with six carries for 106 yards on the ground including two touchdowns, plus a 60-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for multi-purpose contribution.
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East Hardy went up 21-0 early in the second quarter as Dove rushed in end zone from two yards out at 10:43 after the score was setup by his 23-yard run and a dozen yards from Funkhouser.
After a South Harrison punt, Dove raced 70 yards for a touchdown at the 8:12 mark and the Funkhouser extra point gave the Cougars a 28-0 advantage.
Just before the first half ended, East Hardy’s Ryan Rogers garnered a safety.
On the ensuing kickoff, Dove returned it 60 yards for a touchdown to extend the lead to 36-0.
East Hardy kept the Hawks out of the end zone for three full quarters.
Adam Larson scored on a 39-yard rushing play and the extra point put the Cougars up 44-0.
South Harrison managed to score a touchdown in the final stanza, but East Hardy already smothered the scoreboard in points and mud.
East Hardy finishes the season at home for senior night against Class AA Petersburg (6-2) this Friday.
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