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Longhorns take 4A-6 opener, 42-19 PDF Print E-mail
Sports
Saturday, 25 September 2010 07:33
By Ken Jackson
Sports Writer

Harmony waited two weeks to play Liberty ... then waited another 90 minutes.

And then the Longhorns, on the back of running back C.J. Clayton's 209 rushing yards and two touchdowns, romped over the host Chargers, 42-19, in a Class 4A District 7 clash delayed by lightning and played mostly in a constant shower.

Harmony (3-0) is now tied with Edgewater, a 20-17 winner over St. Cloud, and East River, a 41-0 winner over Poinciana, at the top of 4A-7 at 1-0.

HHS Coach Dayne Brown said he wasn't sure how his team would respond after an off week, then warming up Friday only to head back to the locker room and wait to play until the officiating crew was good and ready.

"It was a strange night," he said. "But we thought we were big enough to go to a compact formation and just pound it forward. Then we were able to use it to work the clock."

Harmony ran that bunch shotgun formation to the tune of 394 yards. Clayton ran roughshod, as did Christian Acevedo, who had 71 yards on just five first-half carries before leaving with an ankle injury suffered returning the second-half kickoff. Quarterback Adam Harvey was 5-of-6 passing for 92 yards. The Longhorns also scored twice on defense.

And yet ...

"We still have some mistakes to fix," Brown said. "We did stuff that will get us beat down the road."

Harmony led 28-7 at halftime by taking advantage of its opportunities, while Liberty hurt itself with debilitating penalties. The Longhorns scored on their first drive on a Christian Acevedo 42-yard run, then added to the lead four minutes later. Will Hastings recovered a fumble on the Chargers' next drive, and after Acevedo caught a 15-yard pass on fourth-and-5, Clayton scored from 15 yards out on the next play to make it 13-0 eight minutes into the game.

The Chargers (2-2) cut into the lead in the second quarter when J.J. Elisis capped a 61-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run that made it 13-7, but Harmony answered right back. Clayton followed a 17-yard catch on third down with a 53-yard scoring gallop. The Longhorns made it 28-7 before the half on some good fortune; Anthony Ocosio stepped in front of a pitch on a Liberty fake punt attempt and took it 44 yards for a back-breaking score.

The Chargers had two first-half touchdowns called back on penalties, tallying 81 penalty yards (65 in the first half).

Acevedo hurt his ankle returning the second-half kickoff, but the Longhorns marched 69 yards in six plays undaunted as Ocasio scored again on a 6-yard rush. Greg Hankerson would hook up with Demetrius Taylor on a 43-yard touchdown pass and Elisis (18 carries, 82 yards) added a two-yard run in the fourth quarter for Liberty, who racked up 345 offensive yards of their own.

Zach Williams returned an interception in the fourth quarter for Harmony, which will visit the Osceola Kowboys next week.

 

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