Fitch veterans soar past Harding

By Tom Williams

williams@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

Just before making the backbreaking play of the game, Fitch senior wide receiver Joey Harrington admitted he didn’t see it coming.

With the Falcons ahead by 14 points against Warren Harding, the Falcons speedster went deep and was alone about 30 yards downfield. Quarterback Antwan Harris’ pass found him and Harrington raced into the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown as the first half expired.

“To be honest, I didn’t feel I was going to catch it,” said Harrington, one of six Fitch returning starters, after a 49-14 victory Friday night at Falcon Stadium. “I really didn’t even see it [at first].”

He wasn’t worried.

“I knew I was open, I knew I was fast enough to get it,” Harrington said. “And once I had it, end zone, yeah.”

The reception was one of Harrington’s three touchdowns in the romp. He also scored the Falcons’ first one on a 6-yard run in the first quarter and returned a third-quarter kickoff 86 yards.

Darrin Hall led the Falcons in rushing with 160 yards on 16 carries including a 35-yard touchdown in the second quarter that put the Falcons ahead for keeps.

Harris rushed 15 times for 109 yards and completed 8 of 11 passes for 88 yards. He also scored rushing touchdowns covering 23 and 2 yards.

Of his bomb to Harrington, Harris said, “I kind of sensed [he was open] because we practice that play a lot. That same play worked in our last scrimmage against Buchtel.”

Linebacker Tyler Hewlett, one of the Falcons’ two returning starters on defense, teamed up with junior Alonzo Williams for another big play that triggered a Falcons surge.

With Falcons ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter, the Raiders faced fourth-and-1 at the 43. Raiders head coach Steve Arnold gambled on a fake punt.

The Falcons were ready.

The snap went to upback Eli Watson who was immediately nailed by Hewlett and Williams at the 39.

“This week, we practiced [fake punt] hard,” Hewlett said. “We were just waiting for it. We just read it well. Great feeling — one of the best feelings in the world.”

Arnold has no regrets for the attempt.

“We were trying to keep their offense off the field,” Arnold said. “We thought we could get the first down.”

Hall broke loose for a 20-yard gain on the next play, setting up Harris’ touchdown from the 2.

Despite the lopsided score and the appearance of the running clock near the end of the third quarter, not everything went perfectly for the Falcons.

Late in the first quarter, punt returner Carlos Herriott fielded the ball at the Fitch 6 and went backwards looking for room. Upon contact in the end zone, the ball came out and was recovered by Juvar king for a touchdown for a 7-7 score.

Late in the second quarter, a roughing-the-punter penalty near the Harding goal line extended a Raiders’ drive.

“We’ve got a lot of new kids playing,” Fitch head coach Phil Annarella said. “And we made a couple of new-kid mistakes. We never should have fielded a punt inside the 10, but that’s lack of experience and hopefully that will be corrected. Same thing on that roughing-the-punter penalty.”

Keemari Murry led the Raiders’ offense with 176 yards on 23 carried. One was an 81-yard scoring burst in the third quarter.