Trending
BARNESVILLE -- Harrison Central's season through five games has been a see-saw of lopsided games which, sadly for the folks in Harrison County, has largely found the Huskies on the losing side of those final tallies.
That's always a possibility when a team enters the season with loads of inexperience and is faced with a daunting schedule that never seems to get any easier.
The one bright spot, record wise, is Week 2's 47-14 victory at home against East Palestine.
The combined record of the teams comprising Harrison Central's four losses? It's 19-1.
Harrison Central's most recent defeat came at home in a 49-0 shutout at the hands of unbeaten Martins Ferry.
Now, head coach Anthony Hayes and his team jump from one fire into another as they head to western Belmont County to face another unbeaten in the Barnesville Shamrocks
Through five games, the Shamrocks have not been held under 33 points and only twice have the 'Rocks been held under 40.
Barnesville is coming off another impressive victory, this time a 48-6 hammering of Monroe Central.
The Shamrocks are a model of efficiency and explosiveness offensively.
Led by senior running back Trey Toliver, Barnesville nearly eclipsed 50 against a solid Seminoles team with Toliver leading the way with 177 yards and four scores -- all in the first half.
Quarterback Colt Carpenter threw for 138 yards, going 6-for-6 with a touchdown.
He also ran in another score.
Barnesville can pass, it just doesn't generally need to. So when it does, teams are so geared up to try and contain Toliver that it opens passing lanes which Carpenter is more than happy to exploit.
Defensively, Barnesville has surrendered only 13 points in its last three games including one shutout.
It's a tough challenge waiting for the Huskies' offense.
Against Ferry, Harrison managed only 168 yards of total offense against 412. Olin Wade ran for 50 yards on nine carries but the team as a whole totaled only 65 rushing yards. Junor Lance Smith caught three passes for 48 yards.
If Harrison is to have a chance, the Huskies ground game will need to consistently gain yards to take some of the pressure of Kingston Smith and the passing game.
That will also help take some of the pressure of the Harrison defense which is tasked with slowing down a dynamic and explosive Barnesville offense.