WEST LAFAYETTE — Harrison football was given some catharsis Friday, Oct 16.
A mostly healthy roster, for the first time since Week 1, earned a complimentary 17-15 win over Lebanon in its final game of the regular season.
Quarterback Henry Ade returned from injury to the starting spot for the first time since Week 3, bringing back stability and control on the line of scrimmage. The Raiders didn’t get the passing offense going a whole lot, partly because of the windy and rainy conditions throughout the game, but they found the ability to run the ball and got plenty of contributions from defense and special teams.
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It wasn’t the prettiest win, but it’s the game that Harrison has needed to build some momentum heading into the postseason.
“I feel like the confidence and morale skyrocketed,” defensive lineman Max Perez-Escobedo said. “I feel like having so many players injured and losing a few games to some really good teams in a row, it brings morale down. I really think this win, it’s going to skyrocket and slingshot us into sectionals, and it’s going to be really good for this team.”
Running back Zion Clopton first put the Raiders on the board with a 6-yard touchdown with 12 seconds to go in the first quarter, which was the last touchdown they got from the offense.
The second of two interceptions the defense tallied, following one from Sullivan Garrett in the second quarter, became a pick-6 from Cole Robertson with 4:33 remaining in the third. The Raiders completed a two-point conversion to give themselves a 14-0 lead.
For most of the night, the Raider defensive line was dominant, picking up several tackles for loss as a unit and forcing turnovers. Behind the likes of Perez-Escobedo, Aiden Kelsey and the 6-foot-6, 310-pound freshman Kezie Okeafor, there wasn’t much the Tigers could do to counter their pressure.
“I think we’re well prepared,” Perez-Escobedo said of the group. “We’re always usually one of the most dominant and hardest working groups out there on the field every practice.”
Lebanon did finally break through the Harrison defense in the fourth quarter, as Jeonvic Mutombo scored a 3-yard touchdown with 8:23 remaining. Tannon Monden added to the scoring with a big-time 65-yard touchdown at the 1:30 mark, but a crucial 34-yard field goal from Timmy Schnieder in-between provided enough cushion to prevent any scares.
Another key addition to the Raiders was Deon Brown, a two-way player that arrived from Lafayette Jeff this season and became eligible against the Tigers. He made an impact on both sides of the ball, and his debut was one that his teammates were looking forward to.
For the last eight weeks, he’s been a “silent” worker that has taken every opportunity in practice and has stuck out as one of the “best teammates” on the roster.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever heard him say a negative thing,” Harrison coach Kyle Holderfield said of Brown. “Like, we’re trying to work on the clock late there, everybody’s getting frazzled, and he’s like ‘Coach, you got this man.’ … He’s always positive. He’s always looking for something nice to say to people.”
Harrison (3-6) has looked like a different team nearly every week of the season, with constant changing of its lineup due to injuries. It took all season to get to this point, but the Raiders finally feel like all of the components are there to help them win games.
Its next game will have home-field advantage in a Class 6A, Sectional 1 semifinal on Oct. 30 as Harrison takes on Lake Central (4-5), a team that has lost back-to-back games against Merrillville and Valparaiso.
It might’ve been a grim regular season in many ways, but there’s some life back to the Raiders at the most important part of the year.
“I’m pretty confident,” Perez-Escobedo said. “Best draw that we could have gotten, and honestly, we’re ready. We’re ready to leave everything out on the field.”
Chase Gemes covers high school sports and Purdue women's basketball for the Journal & Courier. He can be reached at cgemes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Harrison football wins regular season finale over Lebanon