Page 4: Sports

HC varsity boys soccer falls to Trojans; win sectional game barn burner

BY JULIE MARSHALL (Harrison News-Herald Sports Writer)

On Thursday, Oct. 14, the Harrison Central varsity boys soccer team hosted the Tusky Valley Trojans at Wagner Field. It was a mostly defensive match for the Huskies. In fact, sophomore goalkeeper Jaydis Yoho made his first save one minute after the kickoff. The Trojans had quick, precise passes that kept the ball moving toward their target. Tusky Valley scored first with over 32 minutes remaining in the first half.

Their second goal, 11 minutes later, was from an indirect kick after a Huskies handball violation. Even though Yoho dove for the save and made contact with the ball, it still went in to increase the Trojans’ lead 2-0. Then with 6:21 left in the half, senior team captain Ben Puskarich booted a kick over the goalkeeper’s head to make the score 1-2. The Trojans came out of the halftime huddle on fire, scoring a goal one minute into the half and then again three minutes later to raise the score to 4-1. The Huskies managed to shut down Tusky Valley’s scoring but were unsuccessful in their many shots on goal. The game ended 1-4, with Yoho nabbing 13 saves during the contest. Head coach Derek Gramling was very disappointed and only commented, “the less said about tonight, the better.”

A revitalized and determined Husky team showed up on Tuesday, Oct. 18, for a home sectional playoff game against Tri-Valley High School from Dresden, Ohio. The cold weather did not deter the many fans who came out to support and cheer on the Huskies, though. The teams were comparable in skill level, making for an exciting evening of aggressive soccer complete with tripping, obstruction, pushing, handballs, and offside offenses. The first half was scoreless, but the Tri-Valley Scotties scored 10:12 into the second half.

The Huskies tied the score six minutes later when junior Jace Madzia crossed his corner kick to senior Jacob Mattern, who delivered the ball between the sticks for a 1-1 tally. Just a minute later, junior Kaden Jurosko had a throw-in that was settled by a Scottie but then stolen by Madzia, who shot it over the goal line to put the Huskies in the lead 2-1. With 11:24 remaining on the clock, Tri-Valley shot one in to tie it up 2-2. The game ended in a tie, which resulted in a 15-minute golden goal overtime; the first team to score would win. When that period ended scoreless, a second 15-minute golden goal overtime commenced. The exhausted teams continued to play with the same intensity and grit, but neither team scored. The next step in determining a winner is a penalty kick shootout. Both the Huskies and the Scotties made 4 out of 5 penalty shots and were still tied after the shoot-out. That brought about a sudden death shoot-out. The Scotties missed their attempt, and then it was the Huskies’ turn.

Mattern took the game’s final shot that put the Huskies on top 3-2 and gave them their first sectional win in four years. Huskies goalkeeper Yoho racked up 10 saves during the match. Head coach Gramling was beaming with pride for his Huskies. He commented, “We were even the whole game, and it came down to penalty kicks. That’s the worst way to end a game, but during tournament play, there has to be a winner. Tri-Valley played a great game.” He continued, “All of the memories of winning this game tonight will be so special for our team but especially for our seniors.” The Huskies play their next round in the tournament at Dover High School on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 11 a.m.

The Harrison Central’s varsity boys soccer team celebrates their sectional playoff win over visiting Tri-Valley. Photo by Kris Puskarich.

Lady Huskies volleyball gets two more victories

BY SHARON DALTON (Harrison News-Herald Sports Writer)

The Harrison Central Lady Huskies took on the Red Knights at home on Wednesday, hoping to continue their winning streak. They would take all three sets to take revenge on the Red Knights after losing to them in five sets earlier this season. McKayla Dunkle racked up 17 kills and 8 blocks. Logan Johnson recorded 27 assists, and Maddy Butler had 25 digs and 20 points. Danica Rensi contributed 11 points to the victory.

The Husky JVs would lose to the Red Knights 2-1. After winning the first set 25-15, they would drop the final two sets, 12-25 and 19-25.

On Thursday, the Huskies would invade the Steubenville Catholic Crusaders. The Huskies would extend their winning streak by defeating the Crusaders in four sets with scores of 25- 17, 25-21, 19-25, and 25-18. Leaders for the Huskies were Logan Johnson with 30 assists and 15 points, Maddie Butler with 22 digs, and McKayla Dunkle with 22 kills and 6 blocks. Sarah Touville chipped in 12 points.

Husky JV squad would lose their contest 2-0 by scores of 25-20 and 25-17.

Kasey Novak defends the net against the Toronto Red Knights. Harrison News-Herald Photo/SHARON DALTON

Huskies cross Creek 33-23, continue final playoff push

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

CADIZ—Three weeks ago, the Harrison Central Huskies were locked in the grip of a five-game losing streak, and playing football in Week 11 did not appear to be in the cards for a group that has been through the wringer this season. But oh, how a few weeks can change things.

For the first year ever, the OHSAA is advancing 16 teams in each region to the statewide tournament in each division. That means the Huskies (4-5), who knocked off a now 6-3 Edison team two weeks ago, then moved on to drop Indian Creek 33-23 last Friday night in Cadiz, are right in the thick of the backend playoff race in Division V Region 17. Not many would have predicted a Week 10 showdown with Buckeye Local would be considered a virtual “play-in” game. But again, here we are.

The Indian Creek Redskins could have spoiled all of that talk — and Senior Night as well — but Huskies running back Nathan Bertolino would have none of that. The senior racked up 182 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, guiding his team to their second win in as many weeks.

“This was a good team win for us, from scout team players to varsity players to coaches. Everybody did their job. You know that when you play Coach Connor’s [Indian Creek head coach] team that you are going to be competing against a well-prepared and physical football team. They competed their butts off last week. That’s a credit to him and his staff,” head coach Anthony Hayes stated.

The Redskins (1-7) are in a rebuilding year, but that didn’t stop them from battling the Huskies late into the contest. In fact, the Harrison Central faithful couldn’t fully relax until Bertolino punched in his third touchdown of the night. With 4:38 remaining on the clock, Bertolino found pay dirt from 5 yards out. The two-point conversion failed, but the score still gave the Huskies a much-needed two-possession late-game lead.

Harrison held a 27-15 lead at halftime, but the Redskins cut into the gap midway through the third quarter. A touchdown and successful two-point attempt landed the numbers at 27-23, and with that, the Huskies’ margin for error had rapidly decreased. Hayes knew his team had to come out and set the tone in the second half, or the Redskins would be there to capitalize.

“We didn’t tackle well in the first half, and that cost us. Our opening drive of the third quarter was key for us, and we didn’t finish it. I think that if we could have put it in the end zone to open up the half, we would have created a very difficult situation for them. Nevertheless, our kids showed some growth, and it’s time to move on to Buckeye Local now,” a laser-focused Hayes said in summary.

Maybe the first-half tackling wasn’t up to the coach’s liking, but it is safe to say the defense’s turnover production was right on point. Tre Rex, Josiah Jones, and Cameron Mcafee all pocketed interceptions on that side of the ball, plus Mykel Quito added a fumble recovery to those numbers as well. The ball-hawking trio of the Huskies secondary has fully come into form nine games into the season. Mcafee has 5 picks on the year, Rex currently has 4, and the interception for Jones was his second of the season. For the second straight week, the Huskies defensive secondary has held their opponents to under 100 yards passing. The Redskins ate up yards on the ground but only compiled 59 yards through the air against the Huskies. Harrison has taken advantage of one-dimensional units all year, and that recipe proved to be successful once again against Creek.

The Huskies trailed two different times in the first half: once in the first quarter at 8-7 and again in the second at 15-14. Much like the Edison game, the two teams exchanged the lead four times in the first two quarters.

First quarter offensive production came from the quarterback position, as Harrison’s Hayden Cassidy stumbled in from 4 yards out. Jace Madzia added the PAT to make it 7-0. After the Redskins took the lead, the Huskies would answer back in a big way in the second frame.

It was a pivotal point of the ball game for Harrison as Bertolino would score twice (4-yard run and 23-yard run), and Cassidy would connect with Mcafee for a 54-yard strike to provide a solid quarter of scoring going into the break. Madzia added two PATs to those three scores, with one two-point attempt coming up empty. Unable to find a consistent rhythm on offense, the Redskins would never recover from the Huskies’ scoring outburst in the second quarter.

With the victory, the Huskies closed the gap in the all-time series. Creek now holds a 6-5 advantage. Prior to last Friday, the Redskins had topped the Huskies in five of the last six meetings. Harrison’s last win in the series before last Friday dates back to 2013.

Cassidy finished 6/16 passing for 135 yards and a touchdown. His favorite target, to no surprise, was Mcafee, who ran up 95 yards on 4 catches. Parker Hutton and Quito rounded out the receiving yards. Hutton’s grab went for 33 yards and Quito’s for 7.

Mcafee was also active in the running game, adding 49 rushing yards on 3 carries to Bertolino’s impressive night. Quito toted it 8 times for 21 yards. Overall, it was a balanced effort out of the running back platoon.

The Huskies headed to WWII Memorial Stadium in Yorkville this weekend, and the stakes for the VALES Trophy have never been higher. A Harrison win will guarantee the Huskies a spot in the playoffs. A Buckeye Local victory will likely eliminate Harrison and turn Panther fans into a group of highly motivated scoreboard watchers, hoping for some help across the region.

Caption: Huskies running back Mykel Quito (30) fights through a host of Redskins in the second half of last Friday’s game in Cadiz. Harrison. News-Herald Photo/D.J. WATSON

Volleyball loses close sectional match vs. Barnesville

Maddy Butler (diving) and Leah Cottrell (standing) return a ball during a defensive set against Barnesville this past Tuesday night. The Huskies held a one-set lead at two different points in the evening, but the Shamrocks forced five sets and ultimately won the match 3-2. Butler finished with 33 digs and 12 points. Harrison News-Herald Photo/D.J. WATSON