DEFENSE SHINES IN HARRISON'S LOPSIDED WIN

It was a first half of football like Harrison coach Joel Wells has not seen since arriving in Arkansas. The Harrison Goblins held Pea Ridge to 3 yards of offense in the first half on Friday night at F.S. Garrison Stadium. The Goblins rode that performance to a 45-14 win over the Blackhawks. "It was a very dominate performance from the defense," said Wells. "It was the best we have played on that side of the ball since I have been here." He continued, "our defensive line and linebackers played really well," he said. "I thought Bryant Ulrich was a difference maker on defense." Ulrich had a fumble recovery on the first play of the game and then later had an interception. Hunter Holtby also picked off a pass for Harrison's defense. Harrison moved ahead, 38-0, at the end of the first half on the way to the Arkansas Good Sportsmanship Rule win. There were flaws in Harrison's performance according to the coach. "I think we played hard, but didn't execute as well as I wanted to on offense," stated Wells. "We struggled a little up front at times, and were not patient enough. We will learn and get better. Overall it was a good first night, but we must improve at every position if we want to make a deep run in November." Harrison scored three rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in the first half. Max Payne added all of the point after attempts and also hit a mid-range field goal to set the scoreboard in Harrison's favor. On the way to 38 points, the Goblins had a balanced first half offensive attack. The Goblins picked up 172 first half yards on the ground and 159 through the air for 331 total yards in the first 24 minutes of action. "It was balanced by design," said Wells when asked about the numbers. "We want to be a balanced team. It doesn't always work out that way, but we are designed to be able to run and throw." Passing was something that the Goblins got rolling with a new quarterback in Ben Johnson. Johnson started slowly with a couple of passes that were overthrown and then a pair of dropped balls. Then the junior settled into a rhythm. He led the Goblins on a 62-yard drive that concluded with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Rilee Jones. "I felt like Ben got better as the game went along," said the coach. "He will be fine. He is a good quarterback and will be a dual threat guy." Harrison's ground attack was not one sided. The squad got several quality runs out of the backfield. "I thought we got very good production out of all our backs on offense," said Wells. (Colin) Ballard and Holtby stepped up and gave us a good lift." The Goblins got out of the game "relatively healthy," said Wells. "We have a couple of injuries that will have to be evaluated." Wells, who is entering his fourth season at Harrison, was pleased with his team in the win. "It was a great start," he said. "We have a really fun team to coach. They give great effort and have a great attitude. Harrison will continue its homestand. On Friday night, the Goblins will face Mountain Home at 7 p.m.

DEFENSE SHINES IN HARRISON'S LOPSIDED WIN

JEFF BRASEL

Harrison Daily | 8/29/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Harrison Daily