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Leavin' no doubt

Red-hot Panthers steamroll Cougars

John M Setzler Jr.

Hibriten’s Tyler Harshaw is chased by Alexander Central’s Blake Baker during Friday’s Northwestern 3A-4A Conference battle at Alexander Central.

By Chris Hobbs | Hickory Daily Record

Published: November 7, 2009

TAYLORSVILLE - Alexander Central High head football coach Tom Harper has seen a lot of football, but nothing quite like Friday night.

"I've never seen one (a team) like that, not with that much depth," Harper said after visiting Hibriten spanked his Cougars 48-7 in a battle of unbeatens to win the Northwestern 3A-4A title as a packed stadium watched.

"Look at their running backs… they have four or five different threats.

"That's a dang good football team."

Using primarily their speed, the Panthers (11-0, 6-0) generated 343 yards rushing and 432 yards overall and – more importantly — 41 unanswered points to streamroll the Cougars (10-1, 5-1).

Once Hibriten broke a 7-all tie with the first electrifying TD run of the night, 68 yards by Tyler Harshaw on the first play after a Cougars kickoff – it was all Panthers all the time.

Forcing five turnovers, Hibriten rocked and rolled to the first unbeaten regular season in school history.

"For two quarters or a quarter and a half, we battled with them," Harper said. "But can't combat that speed.

"They're just at a higher level.

"We were playing hard for a quarter and a half, then we did the things you can't do. You can't turn the ball over and you can't doubt.

"They (his players) started seeing that speed and saying 'Oh Lord!'"

Divine intervention might have been the only thing that could have saved the Cougars, who also played without leading rusher and passer Kyle Kinnaird (out with a sprained right ankle).

Hibriten scored on its first possession — on a 13-yard pass from quarterback Michael Isbell to Josh Dula — and the Cougars tied it by capping a 73-yard drive with Logan Chapman's 26-yard TD run with five minutes, 51 seconds left in the first half.

One play after the kickoff, Harshaw (six carries for 90 yards) turned on the juice and jetted up the left sideline. He scored after defensive back Zach Latham couldn't get an angle on him to make a tackle at about the 15.

After the Hibriten defense delivered a three-and-out by the Cougars, running back Leo Guevara (13 carries for 131 yards) sped 48 yards for a TD. He went up the gut and split Latham and Taylor Pennell as they pursued him for a score that put the Panthers up 21-7.

Hibriten threw an additional scare into the Cougars when Jovonte Marcellino recovered an onside kick at the Cougars' 23. Only a fourth down big hit by Stephen Burns on Harshaw kept the lead from widening.

Or at least delayed it quickly ballooning.

The Panthers' Devin Simon recovered Chapman's fumble at the Cougars' 23 on the opening kickoff of the second half, which Hibriten turned into a 2-yard TD run by Guevara.

After another three-and-out for the Cougars, the Panthers scored in four plays when Kaylen Pearson (five carries for 70 yards) broke one for 44 yards and a 35-7 edge.

The lead grew to 41-7 with 2:54 left in the third quarter when Dula's ninth interception of the season, at the Hibriten 46, set up a 12-yard scoring run by Pearson.

Hibriten's last TD was also set up by a turnover. Pearson intercepted starting quarterback Cody Bowers and returned it 37 yards, setting up a 21-yard Isbell-to-Azell Harshaw TD pass with 10:44 left to play.

Basically, when the Panthers wanted to use their speed, they did. And they can, Isbell said, because their offensive front – seniors Logan Bruton, Fisher Minton, Cliff Swanson, Nick Easton and Ryan Callaway – make his job somewhat like driving a Porsche to work.

"We have a great line and they block," Isbell said. "Our chemistry is so good that we can go through anything.

"I just play and do what I am supposed to do. We have a lot of confidence in ourselves. We execute.
"We're just pretty good right now."

How good is to be seen, said Panthers head coach Chuck Cannon, whose team is in the running for a No. 1 West 3A or 3AA seed when the state playoff brackets are released today.

"We're just going to try to score one more point than the team we play next Friday," Cannon said. "I just hope it ain't somebody we've already played.

"The playoffs are about playing new people."