Warriors take to the road for a clash with North
Published 12:29 am Friday, October 18, 2019
- File Photo/Brandon Hyde Happy Valley running back Will Tittle makes a cut looking for running room on the outside. Tittle, who has been called Mr. Everything by head coach Jason Jarrett, will need to do a lot for the Warriors to pull off the win in Kingsport tonight against Sullivan North.
BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
Right now the Mountain East Conference goes through Happy Valley who carries a 6-1 overall record and stands 2-0 in the conference.
The Sullivan North Golden Raiders (4-3, 1-2 MEC) hope to knock the Warriors from their perch on Friday night with a home clash.
“We have to be able to stop the run,” Warriors head coach Jason Jarrett said. “They have that three-headed monster in the backfield with (Austin) Hartsock, (Yancy) Dolan and (Trey) Williams.
“Hartsock runs that option play as good as anyone and Dolan is a big powerful fullback. They are a little reminiscent of how Hampton plays with double wing and strong tight end.
“This is a week that school is out and you never know how kids will respond but we had a really good practice today.”
This game is the continuation of a rivalry that will see it’s 11th consecutive year of games played between the two with North holding a 6-4 advantage though Happy Valley has won two of the last three including a 44-6 thumping of the Raiders last season.
This season the Warriors have won with defense, holding opponents to just 68 total points for an average of 9.7 points per game.
HV has also been plagued by penalties at times including nine for 80 yards last week in HV’s 13-6 victory over Johnson County.
The offense has been good between the 20-yard lines with junior tailback Matthew Bahn and senior Jordan Campbell logging solid rushing numbers, but the Warriors have had trouble finishing the deal once inside the red zone against teams with solid defenses scoring just an average of 15 points per game.
“We have been getting by, by the hair of our chinny, chin, chins in a lot of these games,” Jarrett said. “It’s been a bit of a double-edged sword where we are able to come up with big stops defensively, but stall when we get a chance to score.
“We have had the chance to blow the doors wide open in several games, including last week when we had some good opportunities in the first half to make it a 14-0 game early on and we didn’t capitalize on it.”
In games against common opponents, North defeated Johnson County 12-7 in week two but fell to Chuckey-Doak by a 34-7 tally and Hampton 49-21 while HV has defeated all three of those teams, which means exactly nothing when it comes to live-action on the gridiron.
“We have been able to run the ball effectively and that’s a credit to our guys up front,” Jarrett explained. “Our offensive line coaches have done a great job, and Bahn and Campbell have been a solid duo. Will Tittle has been our Mr. Everything kind of guy and has good hands.”
Junior quarterback Eli Ayers has posted some good numbers while running a mostly conservative offensive attack. Last week Ayers completed 4-of-10 for 74 yards but had only three pass attempts in the second half with one interception.
“This is a game with a lot of playoff implications,” Jarrett said. “We know going in that with a win we can finish no worse than second in the conference, and the Hampton – South Greene game will be one we want to keep an eye on.
“Our community supports this team very well and I hope to see a lot of fans in the stands. Our fans always show out.”
The game time is 7:30 pm.
