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CADIZ – The Harrison Central football team faced the gauntlet this season, however, the youthful Huskies ended the season on a positive note.
Harrison Central took on rival Buckeye Local in the annual V.A.L.E.S. Game last Friday night at home out at Wagner Field, and the Huskies jumped out to a big lead and did not look back en route to defeating the Huskies, 68-14, via mercy rule.
The victory enabled the boys from Harrison County to snap their seven-game losing streak.
"I would like to say the kids kept working," Harrison Central (2-8) head coach Anthony Hayes said asked what made the difference for his team in the win against Buckeye Local. "The kids kept getting better. It all started at practice. You are able to control your attitudes and your effort, and our kids always had great attitudes and they always gave a great effort.
"They faced adversity early on. They had to learn how to handle it. When you are down, you can pout and out your heads down or you can get back to work and these kids went about their business."
Harrison Central was 1-1 after two weeks of play, however, the Huskies lost their next seven games before defeating the Panthers in the season finale.
"They improved tremendously," Hayes said about his team. "As you alluded to, we had to play a lot of young kids this year. We played them before we should have played them. We played them before we would have liked to have played them. They had to grow up really fast, You have to grow up really fast. It is not easy. You get pushed around. You get beaten up. You cannot hide. You face your bully every day. These kids kept their chin tucked down, and they kept battling. That is a credit to them. They kept this ship going in the right direction. That is a testament to our young kids and to our seniors. The seniors worked hard and showed great commitment. They showed that to the younger kids. The younger kids would not have been able to achieve everything they did achieve if not for the seniors."
The Huskies had a small senior class this season.
"Only one of the seniors has been with us for four years," Hayes said. "One has been with us for three years, one has been with us for four years and the others were with us for one year along with our foreign exchange student."
The seniors improved throughout their time at Harrison Central.
"They improved tremendously," Hayes said. "Coltin Locke was a defensive linemen. He just got better every year. It's actually a funny story. It shows how important practice and those JV games on Saturdays are. At first, he was way down our list, but then he played in our first JV game, and the coaching staff just raved about him. They just went on and on and on about him and how hard he played. They told me to watch the film. I watched the film. We have our eyes on them at practice, but I saw the film and he stood out. He jumped into our starting lineup, and he did not look back. It just goes to show you how important practice and those JV games are.
"Noah Thaxton was our senior kicker. I don't think I have ever been around someone who put more time working on his craft than he did. He was always working. I would have to chase him off the field. He worked hard. He has gotten some scholarship offers and he deserves them.
"Our other two guys showed up every day at practice. They did not know what was going on. They did not play football before. They worked hard. They did a good job all season."
Seven of Harrison Central's 10 opponents ended the season with winning records, while East Palestine lost its last two games to end the season at 5-5. The Huskies defeated the Bulldogs, 47-14, in Week 2 at home for their first win of the season.
"It is funny, I have two kids of my own, and you get to watch them grow up," Hayes said about his young players. "You watch them grow up emotionally and physically. It is like watching your own kids. It is great. They come in as freshmen, and they grow up before your eyes. You are able to see the changes. Everything changes. It is neat. It is like watching your own kids grow. You get to see all of their achievements, and all of their achievements are big deals.
"They are going to continue to improve, and they are going to continue to progress. As a coach, it is great. It's what you want to see. It is special. These kids are going to continue to grow. I think we are going to have a bright future. When you have to play a lot of young kids, those younger kids get experience. They are going to continue to grow and get bigger. They are going to get stronger, and they are going to get faster. Your kids have gained that experience. They showed up every Friday night. They had to play every Friday night.
"Having to play so many younger kids may be a blessing in disguise. Our younger kids may be ahead of some other kids because they were able to gain all that experience."
The Huskies are going to get an influx of talent next year from the junior high.
"I think for the first time in 20 yards, Harrison Central was able to have seventh and eighth grade teams," Hayes said. "Our numbers are really good. Our junior high staff deserves a lot of credit. Those kids are going to come in ready to go. Our junior high staff does a great job with them."
"The junior high staff gets them ready to come in and play at the high school level.
"At Harrison Central, you are forced to play freshmen. The kids are young, but the coaching staff does a great job of getting them ready to play. I have a great coaching staff. They do a tremendous job. We have like 17th eighth graders and 23 seventh graders. We have really-good numbers."
Hayes is thankful for all the hard work his players and coaching staff put throughout the season.
"I am just proud of my coaching staff," Hayes said. "My coaching staff does a great job. They are not only quality coaches, but they are quality men. They are the type of men you want around your kids."