Rockwood runs past Harriman for 36-15 victory
HARRIMAN – Two longtime football rivals have had better records in their 97 previous meetings, dating back to 1921.
They’ve had more on the line in past games. But the intensity doesn’t get much better than it was during Rockwood’s 36-15 non-region win over Harriman Thursday night.
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Rockwood’s (3-3) last possession of the third quarter (which ended in a 32-yard scoring run by Zander Price) and its first drive of the fourth quarter (climaxed by a 13-yard TD run by Dylan Williams) broke open a nailbiter.
Jose Acosta’s 27-yard field goal midway through the third quarter gave Harriman (1-5) a 15-14 lead, and convinced Rockwood it was time to make something happen.
“We’ve had trouble dealing with adversity all year,” said Price. “This game was different. It’s a rivalry. It’s something you look forward to playing all season. We had to come through.”
Price had a lot to do with it. He finished the game with 117 yards on 13 carries. He also had a pair of interceptions on defense.
“Responding to adversity has been something I’ve been preaching all season,” said Rockwood coach John Webb. “When things have gone bad, we’ve struggled with recovering. These guys are old enough to understand what we need to do.
“Tonight, we decided to do what we do – keep it on the ground.”
Rockwood rushed for 170 of its 240 yards in the second half, keeping the game away from the Blue Devils. Ryan McCain capped the Tiger scoring with a 33-yard TD run to put an exclamation point on the victory.
“We’ve got a young group, but we kept fighting,” said Harriman coach Travis Trapp. “They were just so much bigger and older than us.”
Adding to Harriman’s late problems, quarterback Bradly Frost was lost on the last play of the third quarter with what Trapp thought might be a collarbone injury. Backup Kylann Love struggled, going 3-for-9 with 48 yards and two interceptions in the pivotal fourth quarter.
Trey Treadway caught a 22-yard TD pass from Nate Brackett and McCain scored from a yard out to give Rockwood a 14-0 lead after 12 minutes. Chris Worthy snagged a 28-yard scoring pass from Frost and Jayden Prater scored from two yards out to make it 14-12 at halftime. Acosta hit his field goal with 5:08 left in the third quarter, setting the stage for the Tiger rally.
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