Sweet Revenge – Wartburg Crushes Harriman 40-9!
By Terry Futrell
The Wartburg Central High School Bulldogs had something to prove as they dealt a 40-9 loss to the Harriman Blue Devils on Friday evening at Wartburg. After losing to the Blue Devils six years in a row, including a come-from-behind 54-14 victory by Harriman in 2018, Wartburg was determined to prove that Bulldog pride was back and that their football program was once again viable.
The stage was set for a competitive game as both teams came close to victory over in-county rivals in week 1. Losing only five seniors in 2018, Wartburg had both experience and depth at key positions. In week 1, the Bulldogs were tied 12-12 with Coalfield, with the Yellow Jackets taking the lead with only nine seconds remaining in the game.
In spite of losing 12 seniors in 2018, including starters at several key positions, the Blue Devils staged a remarkable comeback against Kingston in week 1. After being down 12-0, Harriman closed the gap to 14-12 with eight minutes left in the game, ultimately losing 21-12.
Experience and depth proved to be the difference maker on this perfect football night with cloudless skies and low humidity. Though both teams fought hard for 48 minutes, the game stats tell the revealing story of how the Wartburg Bulldogs gained the victory.
Wartburg’s offense racked up 19 first downs with a balanced attack. The Bulldogs rushed 31 times for 134 yards and completed 14 of 26 passes for 254 yards.
The Blue Devils could only muster 6 first downs, with most of their offense focused on the run. Harriman rushed 31 times for 69 yards and completed 3 of 11 pass attempts for 13 yards.
It is fortunate for Wartburg that style points are not awarded, as the Bulldogs were tagged with 6 penalties for 64 yards, several of these impacting Bulldog drives. Harriman was called for only four penalties for 35 yards.
Harriman took the opening kickoff and went three-and-out. After an incompletion, Wartburg responded with a 45-yard completion to Saylor Jones, followed by a 24-yard run by quarterback Tyler Davis for a touchdown. The extra point attempt failed and Wartburg led 6-0 with 8:03 on the clock.
Harriman picked up two first downs on their next drive, highlighted by a 17-yard reception by Isaiah Yeager. After a sack, the Blue Devils were forced to punt.
Wartburg quickly moved downfield on their second possession, with a 21-yard completion to Chris Flowers. After a chop block penalty, the Bulldogs were 3rdand 22 when Tyler Davis threw consecutive completions of 36 yards and 12 yards to Colby Justes. Davis then rushed for 15 yards, followed by a one-yard run for the Bulldogs second touchdown. Tyler Davis passed to Jeremiah Davis for the two-point conversion and Wartburg led 14-0.
The Blue Devils quickly responded and put six points on the board with a 10-yard run by Dylan Kocka. The extra point was successful and Wartburg’s lead was cut to 14-7.
Wartburg turned the ball over on downs on their next possession, which included a 29-yard completion to Colby Justes.
Harriman’s next drive ended with a pass interception by Wartburg’s Saylor Jones.
Wartburg began their last possession of the half with less than a minute on the clock. Davis threw a six-yard completion to Justes, then hit Justes with a 50-yard completion that came close to scoring as the first half came to an end with Wartburg leading 14-7.
Wartburg took the second-half kickoff and marched downfield to score, with Colby Justes picking up his sixth reception for 13 yards. Owen Vespie grabbed a reception for 19 yards, and Tyler Davis rushed for 28 yards on the drive. Davis also rushed for the 2-point conversion, extending Wartburg’s lead to 22-7.
Harriman could not sustain their next drive and punted to Wartburg.
On Wartburg’s next drive, Tyler Davis was hit with an intentional grounding call in the end zone, and a safety was awarded to the Blue Devils, cutting Wartburg’s lead to 22-9.
Both teams went three-and-out, and Harriman fumbled on their next drive, with Wartburg recovering the ball on the Blue Devils 7-yard line. Saylor Jones then rushed twice to give Wartburg the touchdown. The extra point attempt failed and the Bulldogs led 28-9.
After Harriman failed to move the ball, Wartburg again marched downfield and scored on a 24-yard pass from Davis to Owen Vespie. The Bulldogs missed the extra point attempt and led 34-9.
The Blue Devils were again unable to sustain a drive and Wartburg took over on downs at midfield. The Bulldogs stayed on the ground with a drive that culminated in a 34-yard touchdown run by Michael Davis. The Bulldogs again missed the extra point attempt, ending the game scoring with a 40-9 lead and ultimate victory over the Blue Devils.
After the victory, Wartburg Coach Kevin Human told his players “Guys, I’m proud of you – we’ve got a lot to fix. To me, this wasn’t a pretty win.” The fixes had better come quickly as undefeated Oneida, Wartburg’s regional opponent next Friday, shut out a tough York Institute team 33-0.
Harriman begins regional play next Friday when they host Coalfield, which lost to Stone Memorial and has a 1-1 record.
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