Warriors break through with win against Hampton
Published 10:34 am Monday, September 16, 2024
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Warriors' Tyler Berry (44) bulls his way into the end zone from one yard out to give Happy Valley a 6-0 lead over the visiting Bulldogs of Hampton with 2:03 left in the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders Hampton tailback Domnique Burleson (12) knots the score at six as he dives into the end zone from eight yards out midway through the second quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Warriors' Artee Bahn (11) drives his way through arm tackles by Hampton’s Gage Hill (11) and Jayden Kuhn (40) for 11 yards and a first down early in the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Bulldogs' Domnique Burleson (12) gives Hampton a 12-6 lead with 2:29 left in the second quarter with this 12-yard sprint to the corner of the end zone. The Bulldogs would take that lead into the locker room at the half.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Warriors line the exit from the field to offer encouragement to their teammate Tyler Berry (44), who was injured on a play midway through the second quarter. There was no information available on the extent of his injury at press time.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Warriors' Gabe McDougald (6) gets into Hampton’s second level on a 13-yard carry for a first down. The Bulldogs' Maddux Wilson (13), Landon Buchannan (10), and Harley Mann (74) were in on the tackle midway through the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Warriors' Tyler Berry (44) finds an opening just big enough to squeeze through for two yards on a fourth-and-one late in the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Bulldogs' Peyton Townsend (2) dives for first-down yardage inside the 10-yard line early in the second quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Bulldogs' Isaiah Belcher (15) is upended at the line of scrimmage by Happy Valley’s Gabe McDougald (6) for no gain late in the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders Bulldogs' quarterback Maddux Wilson (13) pitches back to Domnique Burleson during Hampton’s first drive of the first quarter.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders The Bulldogs' Domnique Burleson (12) goes right up the middle on a two-point try late in the first half. Happy Valley’s defense stops him short, leaving the game tied at six at the half.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders Both the Warriors and the Bulldogs meet at the middle of the field to pray as the teams' trainers and coaching staff tend to Happy Valley’s Tyler Berry (44), who had been injured on the preceding play.
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders
Star Correspondent/Larry N. Souders
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Star Correspondent
Happy Valley snapped a four-game losing streak to the Hampton Bulldogs on Friday night on Warrior Hill with a 19-12 victory. Junior running back turned quarterback Gabe McDougald scored on a 38-yard run in the fourth quarter to clinch the win.
“We are just looking for people to step up, and tonight it was me,” McDougald said. “Personally, I was next in line to step up and take the quarterback spot, and I just want to thank my O-line for blocking so well.”
The Warriors (2-0, 1-0 conference) opened with a nine-minute drive that ate up almost the entire first quarter, with sophomore fullback Tyler Berry scoring on a one-yard run to stake Happy Valley to a 6-0 lead.
Hampton answered with a long, sustained drive of their own, going 64 yards on 15 plays, with senior running back Dominique Burleson scoring on a nine-yard scamper to tie the score at 6-6 as neither team was able to make the two-point conversion.
On the drive, Berry was knocked unconscious and was taken to the hospital by ambulance, delaying the game by 30 minutes. Happy Valley’s next drive was stalled, and the punt by freshman Tony Gibbons went straight up in the air and actually was minus two yards.
Hampton (0-4, 0-1 conference) took over at the HV 42-yard line and took just six plays to score on a 15-yard run from Burleson to take a 12-6 lead. Burleson finished with 104 yards on 24 carries for the Bulldogs.
The Warriors were forced to punt once again on their next possession, and this one traveled just three yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The ‘Dogs took possession at the HV 48-yard line. Hampton drove to the Warriors’ one-yard line where Peyton Townsend fumbled and Happy Valley recovered.
“We had a long talk at halftime,” McDougald said. “We couldn’t let our boy (Berry) go out like that without a fight, and we wanted to put on a show for him in the second half, and I think we did that.”
McDougald did just that as he blocked a Bulldogs punt, and Hampton added a personal foul to that, giving HV possession at the Hampton nine-yard line. McDougald scored on a three-yard run, and junior kicker Aalyiah Rangel added the point-after kick to give the Warriors the lead at 13-12.
“That blocked punt was a huge motivator for us,” Warriors head coach Jason Jarrett said. “We took a deep breath at halftime and we regrouped. There is something special about this bunch, it isn’t always pretty, and they don’t paint pictures on the scoreboard, but that 19 points looks really pretty right now.”
In the fourth quarter, Hampton shot themselves in the foot with penalties and were forced to punt, but the Warriors weren’t able to take advantage and punted back to Hampton. On fourth-and-10, Bulldogs quarterback Maddux Wilson threw an incomplete pass, turning the ball over on downs. From there, HV went on a three-play, 43-yard drive with McDougald faking a handoff to Jamie Esterline, who was stuffed at the line.
McDougald then ran around right end and was untouched to the end zone.
“Hampton was looking for a dive play in the middle, but McDougald took the option play, and it was a great read,” Jarrett said. “Once again, we played complementary football.”
Happy Valley 19, Hampton 12
Hampton 0 12 0 0 – 12
Happy Valley 6 0 7 6 – 19
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
HV – Berry 1 run (run failed) 2:03
Second Quarter
H – Burleson 9 run (run failed) 7:16
H – Burleson 15 run (pass failed) 2:35
Third Quarter
HV – McDougald 3 run (Rangel kick) :30
Fourth Quarter
HV – McDougald 38 run (kick failed) 3:24
