by Jeff Clark, Staff Writer
GULFPORT (GG) — It was more of the same for the West Harrison Hurricanes in Friday’s 53-20 victory over the Laurel Golden Tornadoes — run the ball, run the ball, and run the ball. And when the Hurricanes are running the ball, why not give it to Jordan Stapleton? Or Austin McInnis or Sean Fairley?
Sure, Laurel jumped out to a 7-0 lead and the game was close for a hot minute. But once West Harrison started to find success with running the ball, they pushed the gas to the floor and defeated Laurel by 33 points. West Harrison is off to a 4-0 record.
“First of all. We give God all the glory,” said West Harrison Head Coach Quincy Patrick. “Laurel is a very good football team, don’t let their record fool you. They tested us and made us overcome some adversity. Our guys responded well to the adversity. That’s a credit to our assistant coaches and our players.”
Stapleton once again led the team in rushing with 16 carries for 196 yards and three touchdowns. McInnis had 20 carries for 131 yards and one touchdown. Fairley carried the ball seven times for 44 yards and punched in two touchdowns. Quarterback De’Mario Davies finished the night 1-3 with 60 yards passing.
Defensively, Victor Lebega once again led the team in tackles. He recorded six solo tackles and assisted with four more tackles. Kenthony Townsend had five solo tackles and four assists.
But can the Hurricanes keep the winning streak going? The competition gets a bit steeper as they open district play on the road Sept. 26 at St. Martin. The Yellow Jackets are off to a red-hot 4-0 start.
“St. Martin is off to a hot start,” Patrick said. “They may be one of the hottest teams in the state. My hat’s off to their coaching staff and administration.”
Friday’s game starts at 7 p.m.
(Photos by Aimee Cronan/The Gazebo Gazette via Associated Press)
