By: J. Daniel Pearson
The bad news is that Harmony allowed five long touchdown plays and gave the ball away five times on turnovers. The good news is the game was a pre-season exhibition and doesn’t count on the record.
Still there is a ton to digest from Harmony’s 41-14 loss to Villages Charter in Coach Don Simon’s return to the Longhorns’ sideline after spending the last two years as Athletics Director at Tohopekaliga High.
“I don’t think anything came as a particular shock,” Simon said after the game. “We were playing a lot of young kids – both first and second team players – and we made a lot of mistakes. Those are growing pains. We will take a look at the film and find out where we need to make corrections.”
On three of the Villages first four possessions, Harmony’s defense forced Buffalo quarterback Ja’dence Kennedy into third and long situations, only to see the junior roll-out of pressure and fire touchdown passes 57, 34 and 33 yards as Charter built a quick 20-0 lead.
After a Harmony punt, a busted coverage led to an easy 42-yard pass from Kennedy to a wide open Antwon Johnson as the Villages extended the lead to 27-0. Behind the hard running of Ron Cartagena, Harmony finally got its offense moving – moving the ball 40 yards down to the Villages 25. But three plays netted negative yardage and a snap on a field goal attempt sailed over the kickers head and the Villages took over at midfield.
Two plays later, Kennedy lobbed what appeared to be an interception, but two Harmony defenders tipped the ball and Ja’Marian Clark caught the ball and walked it in for a 44-yard touchdown.
That signaled the end of Kennedy’s night, as he finished 9 for 12 for 312 yards and five touchdowns. “He’s really a terrific player,” Simon said of Kennedy. “We were putting some good pressure on him and he ended up throwing some really accurate passes while on the move. “
Harmony would get on the board twice in the third quarter, both off defensive scores.
Roberto Rodriguez stepped in front backup Bryce Crabtree’s pass and return it 45 yards for a touchdown. On the ensuing possession, Adrian Diaz blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a score as the Longhorns cut the gap to 33-14.
On its next possession, Harmony drove down to the Charter 1 but a fourth lost fumble ended that drive. After the stop the Buffaloes tacked on a meaningless touchdown on a 23-yard run by Blaze Sellers.
Still there were some positives for the Longhorns. Cartagena rushed for 93 yards on 16 carries, Scott Hilliard busted off a 47- yard run and Landon Hayes completed a 48-yard pass to Bryce Perry and Harmony had several long kickoff returns.
“We made a lot of mistakes, but one of the things I liked most is this group did not hang their heads or quit. They fought hard all the way through the second half and that’s something you like to see as a coach.”
The Longhorns open their regular season next Friday night on the road against Windermere.
Scoring Summary
The Villages Charter 20 14 0 7 — 41
Harmony 0 0 14 0 –14
VC: Ja’Marian Clark 57 pass from Ja’dence Kennedy (Kylar Purvis kick)
VC: Clark 34 pass from Kennedy (Purvis kick)
VG: Omari Hill 33 pass from Kennedy (Kick blocked)
VC: Antwon Johnson 42 pass from Kennedy (Purvis kick)
VC: Clark 44 pass from Kennedy (Purvis kick)
H: Roberto Rodriguez 45 Interception Return (Brayden Buehler kick)
H: Adrian Diaz 0 Blocked Punt Return (Buehler kick)
VC: Blaze Sellers 23 run (Purvis kick)
