Bulldogs are now playoff eligible

The playoff-hopeful Harrisburg Bulldogs needed a tackle for a loss on fourth down with a little more than a minute left to put away the scarppy Herrin Tigers, 44-35, to become playoff eligible on a cold Pink Out for Cancer Awareness Night before a full house at Taylor Field Friday.

“The win put us playoff eligible, but five wins doesn’t really guarantee you anything,” said Harrisburg coach Matt Griffith. “Herrin was one of the more talented one-win teams — they hung in with almost every team they’ve played — so we made sure the team was ready for a game. Offense, we were able to do exactly what we wanted to do with some sound strategy. Defense, we had some guys injured and not being able to play, Aiden Unthank and Nash Vallette, so it was the next man up and we’ve had some new guys step in. We had a whole lot of adversity and the momentum kept shifting, so I’m proud of how the guys handled it.”

Senior Briar Butler replaced Unthank on defense at safety and sophomore Aidan Hankins replaced Unthank on offense.

“Butler has been backing up for a while,” Griffith said. “We used Hankins in the slot as well as a wing runner against Herrin to let him use his legs. He was able to run the ball very well. We’ve also been very impressed with his soft hands when he’s catching the ball.”

Harrisburg snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 5-3 to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Bulldogs have qualified for the playoffs that past three years, including the first two years with just five wins.

Harrisburg (5-3) will host Benton (5-3) Friday night at Taylor Field on Senior Night where 21 seniors, including 12 starters, will be playing their last regular season home game. The Rangers have won two in a row and three of its last four games.

“Us and Benton are in the same playoff position, so this is round one of the playoffs in our opinion,” Griffith said. “With this do or die scenario this is a must win for both of us.”

The Bulldogs ran for 326 yards led by Brendan Hicks with 126 yards on 17 carries, Hankins with 113 yards and a touchdown on five carries and Reed Rider with 81 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries.

“Rider had a very standout and big game,” Griffith said. “Brendan Hicks and Owen Rann were able to make big plays when we needed them.”

The game was an SIRR Ohio Division battle that featured five long touchdown runs and passes and a botched punt that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown in the third quarter that kept the Tigers in the game.

The Tigers trailed by 16 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter and rallied on two long touchdown runs by Kyrese Lukens to close within two points with 8:48 remaining.

But the Bulldogs drove 67 yards on seven rushing plays taking two minutes and 37 seconds off the clock to extend the lead back to nine points with 6:04 remaining.

Lukens, who rushed for 193 yards on nine carries, returned the kickoff 33 yards to set up the Tiger offense at the Harrisburg 44. Chris Nelson, who rushed for 98 yards on 18 carries, got the drive off with a bang with a 12-yard run behind right guard and a five-yard run up the middle.

Four plays later with the help of a five-yard offside penalty on 3rd-and-3, the Tigers were at the Bulldogs' 12 facing 4th-and-2. Nelson took the handoff and was attempting to cut around right end, but defensive end Dathan Case smelled the play out and grabbed him by the jersey and held on finally pulling him down at the 27 with 1:25 remaining.

“They were in the red zone with the momentum,” Griffith said. “We were all yelling and shouting to hang on to him and please don’t let that jersey rip.”

The game opened with the Bulldogs defense stuffing Nick Hubbard for a three-yard loss and Nelson for a one-yard loss to set up 3rd-and-14 at the Tiger 22. Lukens then shocked the stadium and the Tiger defense sprinting around left end and down the sideline for a 78-yard touchdown just 1:54 into the game. Jose Mendez kicked the extra point and the one win Tigers led the four win Bulldogs, 7-0.

The Harrisburg offense came right back marching 72 yards on 12 plays ending with Owen Rann throwing a six-yard touchdown pass to Reed Rider. Burke Wilson kicked the extra point and the score was tied with 3:38 left in the first quarter.

Lukens returned the kickoff 38 yards to leave the Tigers 43 yards away from the end zone. Herrin methodically marched to the Bulldogs two on 10 plays where a holding penalty set the ball back to the 12.

Then the Tigers ran around right end with Nelson getting four yards back on second down and Lukens the final eight. Mendez kicked the point and the Tigers regained the lead, 14-7, with 10:47 left in the second quarter.

After the two teams traded punts Harrisburg took over at its own 22 and advanced to the Herrin four on four big plays starting with 20-yard and 16-yard runs by Brendan Hicks followed by a 23-yard run by Rider and a 15-yard run by Hicks.

Rider scored over right guard and after initially setting up for a kick the Tigers were offside again moving the ball the two where the plan was changed and Rider ran the ball in to give the Bulldogs its first lead, 15-14, with 5:45 left in the first half.

The Harrisburg defense stopped the Tigers at the Bulldogs 39 and a 19-yard punt set up the Bulldogs at their own 20 with 1:26 remaining. The drive started with a Rann pass into the right flat to Rider and the senior sprinted through the Tiger defense down the sideline for an 80-yard touchdown. Wilson kicked the point to give the Bulldogs a 22-14 lead at the half.

The momentum continued in the third quarter with Harrisburg taking the kickoff and marching 74 yards on five plays that included a 45-yard run around left end by Hankins, and ended with Rider gaining 17 yards around left tackle and scoring from the four behind left guard. Wilson kicked the point and the Bulldogs extended their lead to 29-14 just 1:54 in.

After a 46-yard punt Harrisburg got the ball back at its own 10, but the Bulldogs were forced to punt from the on 4th-and-2 from the 18. But the kick was low and ricocheted off a helmet and ended up in the end zone where a misunderstanding of the rules allowed Rylan Lattuada to fall on the ball for a touchdown. Mendez kicked the point and the Tigers cut the lead to 29-21 with 4:57 left in the third quarter.

“We went back and forth all night with them with momentum shifts trying to finish and put the nail in the coffin, but we let them hang in there longer than we should have and that punt opened the door for them,” Griffith said. “With that group and as athletic as Lukens and Nelson are, you give them a little surge and they will run with it.”

Following a Harrisburg punt the Bulldogs defense stopped the Tigers on downs at the Harrisburg 34 with 18.2 seconds left. On first down Herrin was penalized for a facemask on a Rider three-yard run. Hankins then broke around right end for a 44-yard touchdown run. An offside penalty on the extra point again changed plans and Rider ran in the two-point conversion to up the lead to 37-21 with 11:49 left in the game.

Following a nine-yard sack of Talan Nemeth, Lukens raced around left end for 69 yards and the touchdown. The extra point kick failed cutting the lead to 10 points. The Tigers forced a three-and-out and punt and Lukens struck again with a 56-yard touchdown run. Nelson ran in the two-point conversion and the Tigers trailed 37-35 with 8:48 remaining.