Football: Harrison Shocks Elite 7-On-7 Field

 STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Fayetteville’s Tyson Morris makes a catch against Rogers Heritage on Saturday during the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase at Shiloh Christian in Springdale.
STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Fayetteville’s Tyson Morris makes a catch against Rogers Heritage on Saturday during the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase at Shiloh Christian in Springdale.

SPRINGDALE -- Harrison turned the biggest upset of the Southwest Elite 7-on-7 Showcase into the spark for a championship run Saturday.

The Class 5A Goblins pulled off the shocker in the quarterfinals, knocking off previously unbeaten Fayetteville 32-27 in overtime to eliminate the 7A Bulldogs, which had outscored opponents 274-117 in starting the showcase 9-0.

"It was huge," Harrison receiver/cornerback Silas Huskey said of the Fayetteville win. "Whenever you win a game you're not supposed to, you're running downhill then."

Harrison used the momentum to rally for a semifinal win over Bixby, Okla., then scored 26 unanswered to beat Heritage Hall, Okla., 26-14 and claim the championship trophy.

"I just want to say how proud I am of the kids, the way they responded," Harrison coach Chad Harbison said. "The reason we play 7-on-7 all summer is to learn how to fight and overcome adversity."

The Goblins finished the two-day showcase with an 11-1 record and avenged their only loss, a 21-10 defeat to Heritage Hall in pool play Friday, in the title game.

"Our kids felt like we made a few mistakes in that game that turned that game," Harbison said of the lone loss. So we had confidence going into that (rematch)."

Harrison was the only Arkansas team to advance to the semifinals, led by senior quarterback Brock Humphrey and senior receiver/cornerback Silas Huskey, who was named tournament MVP. Huskey caught a touchdown pass in the championship game and also played a key role for a Harrison defense that came up with a big stop in the Fayetteville and Bixby wins.

Fayetteville senior and Arkansas tight end commit C.J. O'Grady hauled in a 10-yard jump-ball touchdown on the first play of overtime, but the ensuing two-point conversion pass intended for him was intercepted to clinch the Harrison win.

"They're no doubt probably the best 7-on-7 team in the state," Harbison said of Fayetteville. "We were fortunate. We played well. We got some breaks. They're a great team. We've played them several times (in 7-on-7). And we'll battle with them for a while, but they'll always pull away. But our kids hung in there and kept fighting. And I was real proud of that."

Harrison scored 19 unanswered points to rally from an early 10-0 deficit against Bixby, Okla., then got a defensive stop on the final drive of the game to hold on for a 21-18 win. Heritage Hall scored the first 27 points of the game in a 33-16 blowout of Aurora Christian, Ill., in the other semifinal game.

O'Grady wasn't the only Razorback commit to be eliminated in the quarterfinals. Charleston and quarterback Ty Storey were shut out 23-0 by Heritage Hall, but Storey was impressive for most of the tournament while leading the Class 3A Tigers to a 7-3 record over both days.

Sports on 07/13/2014

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