The Harmony Longhorns (4-2) secured their first District 4S-11 win against the Viera Hawks (0-7) in a 38-13 victory Friday night on the road. It was a crucial first in-district game for both teams, who each likely need to be district champion to have a shot at a postseason.
“We had to get back on track,” Harmony head coach Don Simon said following the win. “We lost the last two games to two great football teams and we had to get back in the win column, not only to go 1-0 in the district but to get our guys our confidence back.”
Harmony came out swinging early in the game, forcing Viera to punt on their first set of downs and then expertly driving down the field on a series of runs by senior running backs Cooper Richards and Tyler Emans.
The defense continued to have a strong showing, intercepting the ball in the end zone on Viera’s next possession. That, combined with an impressive 37-yard run by Richards, ultimately set the Longhorns up for another touchdown, making it a 14-0 game in the second quarter.
It looked like Harmony was poised to run away with the game when linebacker Braydan Adams forced another Viera interception and ran 95-yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty at the line of scrimmage brought it back and gave Viera another shot at points, which they capitalized on, bringing things to 14-7.
That drive signaled a momentum change in the game. While fielding the kickoff, Harmony fumbled the ball and Viera recovered, giving the Hawks spectacular field position. After an easy drive to a touchdown, Viera missed the PAT, allowing Harmony to maintain their lead at 14-13.
Richards and Emans alternated running plays in the next series, bringing the Longhorns downfield for a 27-yard field goal to head into the half up 17-13.
In the second half, Harmony’s defense continued to be the difference-maker. Adams was able to get the pick-6 that he couldn’t have earlier in the game, running in a 26-yard interception early in the third quarter. The Longhorns then forced a fumble on Viera’s next possession and recovered the ball on the 5-yard line, allowing for an easy drive to another touchdown, making it a 31-13 game.
Simon said that these kinds of defensive plays are gamechangers for the team.
“I’m really happy with how our defense is playing,” he said. “They’re flying around, making a lot of big plays and getting turnovers for us. A lot of those points were them – they were putting the ball back to us. They put us in good scoring positions.”
Viera’s offense was effectively stopped for the remainder of the game on their next drive, when quarterback Chase Cromartie was seriously injured in a helmet-to-helmet tackle after running the ball. Cromartie had significant help off of the field and was later taken to the hospital via ambulance.
Dom Gentile took over quarterback duties for Cromartie but the offense was not able to produce any other big plays. Harmony managed to score another touchdown in the fourth quarter on a rare passing play to give the Longhorns their 38-13 win.
Harmony will play its next 4S-11 game in just five days, at home on Tuesday against Melbourne (5-2). Simon said the team will spend the weekend getting ready for the game.
“We’re going to be in tomorrow and Monday… trying to get two decent days of prep in. Melbourne is another solid football team so it’s not going to get any easier for us,” he said.
