Huntington High used a 42-point second quarter to get past the Riverside Warriors 77-0 on Friday in Quincy.
The Highlanders posted 204 total yards of offense in the opening 24 minutes while holding the Warriors to minus-34 yards.
“Our guys executed the plan and played hard,†Huntington coach Billy Seals said. “We created some mistakes on their part. The game kind of got out of control there in the second quarter. I’m proud of our guys. They came out and played hard.â€
Huntington was flying around in all three phases.
The Highlanders scored on their opening eight offensive possessions, forced five Riverside turnovers and blocked two Warrior punts.
“We played well in all three phases,†Seals said. “We didn’t come in here and expect what happened tonight, honestly. We had a good week of preparation. [I] got a lot of respect for Riverside and their kids. We felt like they were tough and going to make some plays.â€
Riverside drops to 1-4 this season, including losing its last two games by a combined 126-12.
“[Huntington] is the state champions for a reason,†Riverside coach Alex Daugherty said. “We got to watch film and see what went wrong. We have to find ways and come out in the first half and avoid mistakes. It’s on me to figure that out. I’m going to keep coaching these kids hard; nothing’s going to change that.
“I’m fully responsible for the beatdown. We are better than this. I know we can be better than this.â€
Daugherty is not giving up on the Warriors heading into the final weeks of the season.
“[My message to my team is] not let tonight affect tomorrow or next week,†Daugherty said. “We got to move on. I use losses to reflect and use as a lesson. I hope our kids do the same. This is a terrible feeling and hate it for our kids. I encourage them to use it as motivation to figure out what we can do to get better.â€
Following Riverside’s opening punt, Huntington’s Avonte Crawford connected with Taviun Chandler for a 38-yard score on the opening play of the drive, 7-0, with 10:02 left in the opening quarter.
The Highlanders offense proceeded to score 21 points following the opening drive. All three touchdowns came on the ground, from Zah Jackson, D’Edrick Graves and Crawford.
Huntington got its first defensive turnover following a Jackson pick-six off Riverside’s Caden Ray, 35-0.
Two of the Highlanders’ first three scores in the second quarter came during punt coverage, including a blocked punt in Riverside’s end zone, making it 56-0 with 8:17 left in the half.
Crawford’s final touchdown pass came with 4:54 remaining as he connected with wideout Mikey Johnson for the 15-yard score, 63-0.
Crawford finished the game going 6 of 7 for 121 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran in one score.
“He played well and threw the football where it should be thrown,†Seals said. “The first play of the game throws a dime to Taviun, and threw a good ball to Duane in the back of the end zone. He read the check down routes well and threw the swing route well.â€
Huntington’s Bryce Winkfield and Jaxon Hatfield scored the final two touchdowns in the final 4:34.
The Highlanders welcome Woodrow Wilson to Cabell County, while Riverside will face Capital at home next Friday.
