Beaver Local shuts down Harrison

BY D.J. WATSON (Harrison News-Herald Sports Writer)

LISBON—Talk about adversity, the Huskies have encountered plenty of that this season. After battling more than the on-field opponent the entirety of the 2020 season due to COVID, hopes were high that this year’s campaign would bring better days. Unfortunately for head coach Anthony Hayes and his Huskies, the football gods haven’t consistently smiled upon them through the season’s first seven weeks.

The Beaver Local Beavers (5-2) pulled away in the second quarter of last weekend’s matchup in Columbiana County, turning a 35- 14 halftime lead into a 48-14 blowout by game’s end. Even worse for the Huskies, two-way star Jonathan Vermillion was sidelined for what is likely the remainder of the season, adding to the list of premier players already out of uniform.

“I’m proud of our kids’ and coaches’ effort. Everybody competed hard. Unfortunately, the hits keep coming for us as we lost Jonathan [Vermillion] to injury. That’s the way the year has gone for us. I feel bad for all of our guys who have had their seasons cut short due to injury, especially the seniors who won’t have the opportunity to come back for another year. I’ve never experienced a season like this in all of my years in coaching,” Hayes stated.

Early in the game, it looked as though Harrison was poised to snap a now five-game skid. Hayden Cassidy found Tre Rex for a 22- yard touchdown strike just 55 seconds after kickoff. Jace Madzia nailed the extra point to the give the Huskies (2-5) an early 7-0 lead. However, the Beavers responded in a big way, scoring the next 29 points to take a three-possession lead into the locker rooms for the break.

It was Rex again hauling in a Cassidy target for the Huskies’ second touchdown of the evening. This time from 53 yards out with 4:03 remaining in the second frame. The 15-point deficit was as close as the Huskies were going to get, as the Beavers tacked on a score right before intermission and never looked back.

“Credit to our young guys who have been forced to play varsity earlier than expected. They haven’t blinked. They have given us very good physical effort. Our kids play hard, and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so through the end of the year,” said Hayes.

“Our message to the kids throughout this year has been understanding the importance of handling adversity. Control what you can control. What we can control each day is our effort and our attitude,” the coach concluded.

Cassidy went 11-17 for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Rex was his favorite target, finishing with five catches for 105 yards and the pair of tuddies.

The Huskies welcomed Edison this weekend for the Homecoming celebration. The two schools haven’t squared off since 2017, a game Harrison won 41-0. The Huskies lead the alltime series with the Wildcats 11-1.

Caption: Harrison News-Herald Photo/D.J. WATSON Harrison Central senior wideout Jonathan Vermillion busts through the Beaver Local defense. Vermillion had two catches for 28 yards on offense and two tackles for a loss on defense before leaving the game with an injury.