The Screaming Devils overcame a weather delay, a late 4th quarter defecit, and several questionable calls by the officials to earn their second victory of the season. The win was also the first victory on the road for Warren County since the 2011 season.
After three games of explosive offense, the night would be a defensive battle for both teams. Harlem would get on the board first with the only score in the first quarter. With 5:19 to go in the first, Tradaria Brown found the end zone after a 4 yard run. After the extra point, Harlem led by the score of 7-0.
Jermaine Berry would provide the lone score only other score in the first half. Berry put the Devils on the board with a 2 yard run with 6:49 to go in the second quarter. The extra point attempt by Seals was wide and the first half ended with the Bulldogs holding a slim 1 point lead by the score of 7-6.
The two teams would have to endure over an hour lightening delay at halftime. While some area games would be called due to weather at the half, the storms moved far enough away from Harlem to allow the teams to retake the field.
Neither team would score again until late in the fourth quarter. Warren County took their first lead of the night with 5:49 to go in the contest. Anquavious Hill punched it from the 1 yard line and Jermaine Berry scored on the 2 point conversion to give the Devils a 14-7 lead.
The Bulldogs wasted no time reclaiming the lead. Lane Phillips connected with Owen Price for a 53 yard pass completion to regain the lead. After the 2 point conversion, Harlem led 15-14.
Warren County went back on offense with 3:28 to go in the game. Devocea Lott would put the Devils ahead for good with a 22 yard run. The 2 point conversion failed and the Devils held just a 5 point lead by the score of 20-15.
Harlem had a final shot with 2:00 left in the fourth quarter, but the Warren County defense was up to the task and forced the Bulldogs to turn the ball over on downs, sealing the victory for the Devils.
Timothy Seals once again led the rushing for the Devils with 111 yards on 16 carries. Anquavious Hill carried the ball 7 times for 40 yards. Jermaine Berry had 20 yards on 8 carries and Devocea Lott had 25 yards on 3 carries.
Jermaine Berry was also 3-6 in passing. Berry threw for 80 yards with no interceptions. Berry connected with Devocea Lott for 49 yards, and Timothy Seals for 23 yards. In what is probably one of the strangest stats, Berry also completed a pass to himself for 8 yards. Berry's pass was batted back at the line of scrimmage into his own hands. Berry caught the ball and ran for an 8 yard completion.
Warren County was penalized more in the game than any other this year. The Devils had 19 penalties for 149 yards compared to only 5 penalties Bulldog penalties for 35 yards.
Coach Freeman was proud of the play of his team. Freeman stated, "We had to overcome a lot of adversity...we had things that didn't go our way, but the boys played through it all." Coach Freeman was especially proud of the way his team handled the pressure of a late Bulldog score and answered with one of their own to reclaim the lead.
The victory of Harlem pushes the Devils to .500 on the season with a 2-2 record. This week, the Devils travel to Wilkinson County to take on the Warriors. Kickoff is set for 7:30.
No comments:
Post a Comment