The Funding Zone
 
SAFR: Safer Through Science
 

Hickory gets its revenge on Sharon @HHSFootball_1 @HSD_Athletics @SharonAthletics

Tagged under: District 10, Gameday Hub, News

| November 7, 2021


New Wilmington – The second time through was the charm for the Hickory Hornets.

Hickory avenged a 14-7 loss to Sharon on September 11th by ending the Tigers season 36-20 in District 10 Class 3A playoffs.

“The ending to that first game was a tough pill to swallow when you’re leading the whole game, and you think you’ve made a stop to win only to get hit with a pass interference,” said Hickory head coach Bill Dungee. “I was thinking if I have to lose one of these two, I’d rather lose the one in September than November.”

In the first matchup, Hickory opened the scoring 87 seconds into the game on Sean Kennedy’s 30-yard run.

Sharon answered right back, scoring on a 4-yard run by Labrae Norris on their opening possession as the game had already seen more offense in the first four minutes than their first meeting had in over three quarters.

“I don’t know how much the first game mattered,” said Dungee. “The first matchup was so long ago. The teams are so different now. We feel like we’re a better team now than we were back then. We’re executing well, and it’s all about serving and advancing. It’s a great feeling.”

The Tigers looked like they would take the lead in the second quarter as they drove 78 yards in 16 plays and ate up nearly ten minutes of the game clock.

However, the Hornets defense stepped up and forced a 26-yard field attempt by Nick Schimp that was wide right.

On the next play, Logan Woods connected with Jackson Pryts for an 80-yard touchdown pass that gave Hickory a 14-7 lead with 4:05 to in the first half.

 

Things did not begin according to plan to start the second half for the Tigers as three incomplete passes led to a bad punt snap and a Hornets safety only 26 seconds into the second half.

Hickory then extended their lead after the free-kick when Kennedy scored from four yards out.

Sharon was going away quietly as they got themselves back into the game late in the third quarter as Austin Perlik tipped a Woods screen pass that was intercepted by Dante Currie and returned 45 yards for a touchdown.

 

Following a Hornets punt, the Tigers drove 94 yards and scored on a 1-yard run by quarterback Mikey Rodriques that pulled Sharon to within 22-20 with 8:20 to play.

“We fought back and gave ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter,” said Sharon head coach Jason McElhaney. “They made more plays than we did down the stretch. We made some sloppy and uncharacteristic plays tonight. I thought we practiced well for two weeks, but sometimes things don’t go your way, and you get outplayed.”

Rodriques led the Tigers 11-for-27, passing for 158 yards and an interception while rushing 23 yards and a score. Jayveerh White ran for a game-high 90 yards on 20 carries.

Undaunted, Hickory came right back and scored when Woods and Pryts connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Woods completed 11-of-17 passes for 237 yards with a pair of touchdowns and the interception. Pryts four receptions for 118 yards with the two scores while also adding an interception on defense.

“All of our seniors tonight made huge plays,” said Dungee. “Whatever I ask them to do, they do it, and they never complain. I couldn’t ask for a better group.”

Ramarion Whitehead then intercepted Rodriques, leading to Ty Holland’s 6-yard run that clinched the game with 1:31 to play.

Sharon closes their season at 6-4.

“Having the atmosphere of getting ready and coaching our players is an opportunity that we feel very fortunate to have,” McElhaney concluded. “This experience is going to hurt. I feel heartbreak for our seniors because they’ve been through the lows and highs with this program. All of those guys I have tremendous respect for, and they’ll be missed. They did great things for Sharon football.”

Hickory now gets a date with Slippery Rock in the semifinals. The Hornets beat the Rockets in Slippery Rock on October 18th, 27-23.

“We’re the fifth seed, we have a chip on our shoulder, and we’re going to go play,” Dungee concluded. “Slippery Rock probably thinks we stole one from them up at their place. So we know they’re going to be ready.”

Game Highlights:

 

Hickory 36 Sharon 20

Score by Quarters

Hickory – 7 7 8 14 – 36
Sharon – 7 0 7 6 – 20

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

H – Sean Kennedy 30 yd run, (Lukas Jones pat), 10:33

S – Labrae Norris 4 yd run, (Nick Schimp pat), 7:45

Second Quarter

H – Jackson Pryts 80 yd pass from Logan Woods, (Jones pat), 4::05

Third Quater

H – Safety – Punt snapped through the end zone, 11:34

H – Kennedy 4 yd run, (pass failed), 9:21

S – Dante Currie 45 yd interception return, (Schimp pat), 3:02

Fourth Quater

S – Mikey Rodriques 1 yd run, (kick failed), 8:20

H – Pryts 20 yd pass from Woods, (Jones pat), 5:27

H – Ty Holland 6 yd run, (Jones pat), 1:31

Individual Stats

Rushing: Hickory – Sean Kennedy 8-49, Nakeem Jones 13-85, Pryts 2-37, Woods 5-4, Holland 2-6, Keenan Scullin 1-0, Team 1-0. Totals: 33-181. Sharon – Jayveerh White 20-90, Cortez Nixon 5-22, Melvin Ray 3-13, Mikey Rodriques 6-23, Norris 2-5, Team 1-(-20). Totals: 37-133.

Receiving: Hickory – Pryts 4-118, Scullin 3-52, Ramarion Whitehead 2-43, Kennedy 1-6, Nash Porada 1-18. Sharon – C’angelo Harrison 2-28, Jaon Phillips 4-57, Shane Rowe 1-5, Julius Phillips 4-68.

Passing: Hickory – Woods 11-for-17, 237 yards, 1 touchdown. Sharon – Rodriques 11-for-27, 158 yards.

Interceptions: Hickory – Pryts, Whitehead. Sharon – Currie.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
GoRout
 
Rainbow Lettering
 
Turf Tank
 
x