Happy Valley proves dominant in win over Indians
Published 9:11 am Monday, October 2, 2023
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STAR CORRESPONDENT
Dominance was on display on Warrior Hill on Friday night as the Happy Valley Warriors enjoyed Homecoming with a 40-6 non-conference victory over Hancock County. The Warriors (3-3 overall) were good for 296 yards of total offense – 254 yards rushing and 47 passing yards – while holding Hancock County to 71 yards of total offense.
First Quarter saw HV turn loose the run game
“It was a total team effort,” Warriors head coach Jason Jarrett said. “We played complimentary football and got going early on offense and I was proud of the guys up front. The running backs were running hard and we made a few plays in the passing game as well.”
After forcing a turnover on downs on the Indians first drive HV would go 71 yards in five plays with senior running back Joseph Sowards scoring on an eight-yard run. The point after kick was no good, so HV stood with a 6-0 advantage.
On the next Warrior drive, junior RB Jamie Esterline scored on a 42-yard scamper and sophomore QB Aiden Paul ran in the deuce for a 14-0 HV lead.
Second Quarter blitz leads to second half running clock
Sowards capped off a 73-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown plunge early in the second quarter for a 21-0 score after Esterline added the PAT. Ron Paul Parker then picked off a tipped pass from Indians QB Chandler Parsons and the Warriors took possession at the 45-yard line.
Paul scored on a 22-yard run the next time HV had the football and the PAT was wide but HV held a firm 27-0 advantage.
Paul then found Dawson “Ace” Young on a 21-yard scoring pass that gave HV a 34-0 lead with 8:12 still remaining until halftime. Once again Hancock could not get any offense going and was forced to punt.
Hancock would not get a first down in this contest until late in the second half and finished with just 71 yards of total offense. HV ended the first half blitz with a 31-yard run from Paul.
“It was really all about the o-line,” Paul said. “They did another great job. Three games in a row they gave a great effort and gave us room to run. I came in when Drew (Blevins) got hurt against Eagleton and it has all been a team effort and we played great and I can’t wait until next week.”
Hancock QB scampers in for late TD to avoid shutout
Hancock got its first, first down on the last play of the third quarter and Parsons scored on a 30-yard run with 10:14 left in regulation to avoid the shutout. For Hancock, Parsons was good for 30 yards on five carries and was 3-for-15 passing for 37 yards.
Sowards rushed for 53 yards on five carries while Esterline was good for 64 yards on three tries.
“We installed a new run package a few weeks ago and it has worked wonders for us,” Sowards said. “We have had to move a lot of people around because of injuries but the group of linemen we have now have worked really hard. I’m really looking forward to next week; I think it will be great competition.”
HV will travel to South Greene next week for a big conference clash.
Happy Valley 40-6
Hancock Co. 0 0 0 6 – 6
Happy Valley 14 26 0 0 – 40
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
HV – Sowards 4 run (kick failed) 7:56
HV – Esterline 42 run (Paul run) 4:40
Second Quarter
HV – Sowards 14 run (Esterline kick) 11:51
HV – Paul 22 run (kick failed) 10:33
HV – Young 21 pass from Paul (Esterline kick) 8:12
HV – Paul 31 run (kick failed) 5:06
Fourth Quarter
HC – Parsons 30 run (run failed) 10:14
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
HV – Paul 6-103, Sowards 5-53, Esterline 3-64, Parker 2-10, Blevins 1-8. HC Parsons 5-30, Collins 2-6, McDaniel 1-2, White 2-0, Kinsler 1-(-2).
Passing
HV – Paul 3-for-6 42 yds, 1 TD, 0 int. HC – Parsons 3-for-15 37 yds. 0 TD, 2 ints.
Receiving
HV – Young 1-21, Esterline 1-20, Keller 1-1. HC – White 2-32, Collins 1-5.
