Sports Editor

Harmony makes its first football playoff appearance since 2007 Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Davenport Ridge Community in the opening round of the Class 7A-2 regional playoffs.

The Longhorns (4-6) are the biggest surprise in the region after rallying from an 0-5 start to win four of their last five games, including three crucial victories in 7A District 6.

Harmony clinched their playoff spot Nov. 2 by beating rival St. Cloud, 26-20.

Harmony Coach Jerrad Butler said the playoff atmosphere shouldn’t affect his team, which won high-pressure district games against Gateway and St. Cloud.

“The last two games, it was series-by-series, down-by-down,” Butler said. “I think our kids have been against adversity where nobody outside the team gave us much of a chance.”

Butler said he didn’t think about the playoffs when the team was winless at midseason.

“No, because at that point you’re just focused on winning a game,” Butler said. “You aren’t looking down the line at that point.”

And, his team got the message.

“That’s what happens when you have a bunch of blue collar, lunch-pail type of kids,” Butler said. “It’s a testament to them that we’ve gotten to this point.”

Quarterback Jeremiah Murray (55-133, 828 yards, 10 TDs) has given the Longhorns the extra dimension they needed to be successful offensively. The team struggled to score during its losing streak, but since midseason the Horns have scored more than 20 points per game except for a shutout at Osceola and during the 15-13 win against Gateway.

Tristan Reaves, Preston Jones and Alex Britton all stepped up to make big catches for Murray, and Forrest Osborne (107-544, 2 TDs) has ground out yardage despite dealing with a variety of injuries.

Defensively, linebacker Colton Keene leads the county with 137 tackles. Chase Fields (67 tackles, four caused fumbles, two interceptions) and linemen Quozell Browne (59 tackles, one caused fumble), Manny Trujillo (59 tackles) and Jared Kuchinskas (37 tackles, three caused fumbles) all have played key roles for the defense.

Ridge Community, 8-2, beat Lakeland, 7-0, two weeks ago to clinch the 7A-5 championship.

Butler said the Bolts victory was no fluke.

“Defensively, they’re as good as Lakeland,” Butler said.

The Bolts also have a game-breaker in Shykeem Pitts, who moved to quarterback at midseason to shake up a lethargic offense. Pitts is being targeted by several D-I programs as a defensive back.

“The key for us is how quickly we can adjust to their speed. There’s no way for us to replicate that in practice,” Butler said. “Osceola would be the team that we’ve played that I would compare them with.”

Harmony won two previous meetings between the teams in 2005 (14-13) and 2006 (68-0), when Tyler Anderson coached the Longhorns. The Longhorns reached the regional finals in 2007 before losing at North Marion, 21-3.