W.PA. FOOTBALL Hickory upends Sharon again

The Hornets won 33-13 for their third straight win over the Tigers.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
SHARON -- The Hickory Hornets have enjoyed a reversal of fortune in its storied rivalry with neighbor Sharon.
For the third year in a row the Hornets (2-0) stung Sharon, this time pinning a 33-13 loss on the Tigers before an overflow crowd at Sharon.
"This is big," said Hickory coach Jim Bell. "All of our coaches are Hickory guys. Those guys will tell you what this [game] is all about."
Reverses drought
The three-year winning streak by Hickory reverses a drought that saw Sharon (1-1) lose one time previously in over 40 contests. The teams also share a tie in the series that dates back to the late 1960's.
"Our kids are disappointed," said Sharon coach Bob Fromm. "This is the rivalry for us. I just told them to keep their heads up and stay focused and we'll be back."
Hickory showed that they would have the upper hand on Sharon again this season as they held the Tigers on their first possession forcing a punt.
The Hornets then unleashed its big-play offense that featured 7 different runners and receiver Garen Ream. Hickory marched 45 yards on only 6 plays before getting on the scoreboard early on a 2-yard run by Rashad Campbell.
The Hornets scored again early in the second on a 3-yard run by Keith Yager that capped a three-play drive which featured a 53-yard pass play from quarterback Nick Erdesky to Ream.
"We started out good and played pretty good defense," Bell said. "It was a great start. We were feeling pretty good about ourselves leading 13-0."
Brief comeback
Sharon got back in the game briefly right before halftime by driving 63 yards in the final 50 seconds.
The Tigers scored with no time left on the clock when Sharon quarterback Mike Snyderwine connected with Delon Bournes on a 38-yard scoring strike.
Hickory put the game away in the second half by scoring on its first possession of the third quarter.
Dominated second half
The Hornets outscored Sharon in the second half 20-6 behind a dominating defensive effort.
Sharon struggled for the most part turning the ball over four times.
The lone bright spot was the performance of senior running back A.J. Wilson who rushed for 133 yards on 31 carries and scored Sharon second touchdown of the game.
Hickory rushed the ball well as a team and rolled up 276 yards on the ground.
Leading rusher
Josh Peagler led all rushers with 85 yards on just eight carries and two second-half touchdowns on runs of 21 and 4 yards.
Erdesky rushed for 78 yards while Campbell added 62 yards on 10 carries.
"You have to give our offensive line a lot of credit," Bell said. "We are a senior laden unit with just one junior and they did a heck of a job."