ALMA -- Holding Senior Night ceremonies in a driving rain can be deflating, but not as deflating as what happened about 20 seconds into Friday's game.
That's when Gabe Huskey touched the ball twice to give Harrison a lead it did not relinquish. The quick strike began when Huskey returned the opening kickoff past midfield. He then took a handoff on the first play from scrimmage and scored on a 44-yard run.
Huskey finished with 269 yards rushing on 30 carries to lead Harrison to a 31-0 victory over Alma in a matchup of league leaders in the 5A-West Conference. Harrison (8-0, 5-0) will continue its drive toward a conference championship against Huntsville and Farmington while Alma (4-4, 4-1) will attempt to regroup Friday at Greenbrier.
The loss ended a four-game winning streak for the Airedales, who did not pick up a first down in the first half.
"Our defense has played tremendous all year long," Harrison coach Joel Wells said. "That's the biggest improvement we've made over last year."
There's been some epic battles between Alma and Harrison but this was not one of them. The teams met in the Class AAAA state championship game in 1999 when Harrison denied Alma a third consecutive state championship after Tommy Edwards kicked a 26-yard field goal as time expired to give Harrison a 10-7 victory.
Harrison finished 14-0 and beat Alma 9-7 that year in a regular-season game.
The Goblins could challenge again with a strong defense and Huskey in the offensive backfield. The junior displayed an uncanny ability to change direction and slide off tacklers on a wet field Friday. He had 195 yards at halftime and now has over 1,300 yards rushing on the season.
"(Huskey) has great vision and great acceleration," Wells said. "He's just a great kid."
Harrison passed sparingly while dominating both side of the ball against Alma. Ben Johnson rushed for 167 yards mostly on quarterback keepers and he threw an 11-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter to put the Goblins ahead 17-0.
A good crowd from Harrison made the tough, two-hour drive through the hills on another rainy night. Tonya King of Harrison stayed dry with family and friends who sat under a tent on the top row of the visitors' side. King mostly uses the tent during the summer months while her son, Lane, competes in dirt bike racing. But it also works well during football season while she watches her son Logan play for the Goblins.
She was confident of a Harrison victory before kickoff and was rewarded with a win that kept the Goblins undefeated.
"A lot of these kids have been together since seventh grade and their willingness to do whatever it takes is what makes them good," King said. "They're really good friends. You can find them together all the time."
Talent and teamwork is a combination in all winning teams. Harrison has it and the Goblins certainly look like a team that can go deep in the Class 5A state playoffs this season.
"We play them one at a time," Wells said. "We haven't done anything yet."
Sports on 10/20/2018