Happy Valley holds off Johnson County, 13-6
Published 1:33 am Saturday, October 12, 2019
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Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Happy Valley’s quarterback Eli Ayers (16) eludes the Longhorns Colt Moody (59) and avoids a sack late in the second quarter.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders Happy Valley’s Will Tittle (4) pulls in this pass from quarterback Eli Ayers for a 45 yard gain in the Warriors opening drive of the game to set up first and goal at the three.
Star Photo/Larry N. Souders The Warriors Matthew Bahn (22) takes the handoff from quarterback Eli Ayers (16), lowers the pads and drives his way through the Longhorn defense on this six-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
Strong defense was the order of the evening on Warrior Hill as Happy Valley scored a 13-6 victory over Johnson County on Friday night.
Happy Valley (6-1 overall) struck gold on its first possession moving the ball 62 yards on seven plays with senior Jordan Campbell scoring on a two-yard plunge for a 7-0 Warrior lead after the point-after kick from Cameron Cochran.
In the second period, the Longhorns got some offense going with ‘a man named’ Curtis Lowe running the ball in from the six-yard line.
Lowe’s run capped a 70 yard, 12-play drive. Lowe rushed for 105 first-half yards and finished the night with 150 yards on 27 carries.
The ‘Horns extra point try went wide right to make it a 7-6 contest.
The Warriors struck right back with a 56-yard scoring drive capped by a four-yard scamper from Matthew Bahn.
HV rushed for 144 yards and had 74 more in the air. The ‘Horns (3-4 overall) rushed for 141 ground yards but junior quarterback Stacy Greer was 0-for-6 passing in the first half.
“Happy Valley has a really good defense and we struggled to move the ball tonight,” said Longhorns head coach Don Kerley. “They made the plays tonight and we didn’t.”
Happy Valley missed on its second PAT try and had to settle for a 13-6 halftime lead.
The third period saw HV hold the ‘Horns on downs on consecutive possessions, but could do little with the ball.
Johnson County’s best opportunity came in the third period when the ‘Horns blocked a Warrior punt and took possession at the HV 30-yard line.
“They had the momentum most of the second half,” Warriors head coach Jason Jarrett said. “We played bend but don’t break and they got some good runs from Lowe.
“Our kids played extremely hard and gave us everything they had. These kids have overcome so much adversity this season, but we have 24 hours to enjoy the win then get back to it.”
Bahn finished with 97 yards on 15 carries while Campbell chipped in with 89 yards on 19 tries. Ayers completed 4-of-10 passes for 78 yards for the game.
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Happy Valley 13-6
Johnson Co. 0 6 0 0 – 6
Happy Valley 7 6 0 0 – 13
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
H – Campbell 2 run (Cochran kick) 9:51
Second Quarter
JC – Lowe 6 run (kick failed) 6:20
H – Bahn 6 run (kick failed) 4:12
