It’s been three years since the Brass Bugle was displayed in Harmony High School’s main lobby, and after Friday’s dominating 44-0 win over St. Cloud in the Soldier City Classic, that’s where the trophy will reside for the next year.
St. Cloud’s first drive looked like they came to play, after a 50-yard Joe Clukey pass to Owen Conner, but the Bulldogs’ drive hit a wall, bringing out the punt team.
From there it was all Longhorns with Harmony scoring on the next two possessions, a great sign after struggling offensively last week in a 35-3 loss to Palm Bay Heritage. Harmony punched it in from the one-yard-line to get on the scoreboard first. Longhorn power-running Tyler Emans made it a 14-0 game after a 10-yard run late in the first quarter.
Nothing would stand in the way of the Longhorns Friday night, not even a blackout in the first quarter after a fuse blew in the stadium. After a 20-minute delay, Don Simon’s Longhorns got back to work.
Tyler Emans did what he’s done for four years at Harmony, punish the defense by running hard for four quarters, netting over 250 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’ll be missed next year, as will his partner in the backfield, Cooper Richards, who ran for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter to make it 28-0 in Friday’s rivalry win over the Bulldogs.
The first half ended 35-0 at Harmony which triggered the running clock for the 2nd half.
Harmony Head Coach Don Simon said after the win, “We just did what we do, these guys ran the ball, and the defense played lights out. We were solid in all three phases of the game. This is the football we like to play.”
When asked about the importance of the rivalry between Harmony and St. Cloud Coach Simon said, “It’s bragging rights. It’s bragging rights for 365 days. The fact that everybody is so close in the community, whether you win or lose, it’s fun tonight, and then you go on to the next year. It’s not a hate rivalry, it’s a fun rivalry.”
Harmony’s defense forced 3 turnovers in the 2nd half, keeping the momentum in Harmony’s hands. Longhorn quarterback Aiden Parks ran for two touchdowns and passed it in for another on a big offensive night at “The Ranch.”
The “Soldier City Classic” ended 44-0 Harmony, and the Brass Bugle was passed to the Longhorns for the first time in three years.
Harmony will be watching the FHSAA announcement on Sunday to see if the FHSAA playoff bracket has its name included in one of the four at-large playoff berth spots.
The Bulldogs will travel to a bowl game at Poinciana on Wednesday, that after the Poinciana Eagles beat Liberty on Friday night 56-0 in their rivalry game, the Battle of the Boulevard.
