Pleasant Grove posts 18th consecutive win
Pleasant Grove had an epic second half.
Ben Harmon totaled 280 yards—216 through the air and 64 on the ground— as the Hawks defeated Henderson, 33-24, on Friday at Hawk Stadium.
“We are making mistakes that a young team makes, but we are overcoming them because of the competitive spirit and the heart and soul that our team puts into the game,” Pleasant Grove head coach Josh Gibson said. “They find a way to win, and they are winners. Our community stuck with us tonight, and we found a way to win against a very talented football team.”
With the win, the Hawks extend their school-record winning streak to 18 games.
Pleasant Grove scored 18 unanswered points in the second half, the first score coming in the third quarter when Sergio Rodriguez grabbed a 19-yard pass from Harmon to put the Hawks within three, 24-21.
On a 3rd-and-18, Pleasant Grove linebacker Nick Martin sacked Henderson quarterback Sevastian Deleon for a nine-yard loss to put the Lions on their own 10-yard line. The long snap went over the punter’s head and the Hawks earned a safety to creep within a point.
Dillon Williams booted a 45-yard, go-ahead field goal to give Pleasant Grove a 26-24 lead with 7:04 left in the game.
After Deleon threw an incomplete pass on fourth down, the Hawks capped a 12-play, 46-yard drive when senior fullback James Wiggins plunged into the end zone from a yard out on fourth down.
Harmon put the Hawks’ team on his shoulders in the second half as he rushed for 54 yards on just seven carries in the second half and threw for 80 more, including a touchdown.
“Henderson had a huge front seven, so I knew that I had to grind out some tough runs,” Harmon said. “My teammates motivate me, and I wanted them to look to me for motivation.”
Ryan Pickelman intercepted a Henderson pass early in the first quarter for Pleasant Grove.
Garrett found the end zone from six yards out to cap a 10-play, 77-yard drive in 3:52. The Hawks were up 7-0.
On the next PG possession, the Hawks went for it on fourth down at the Henderson 39-yard line, but the pass fell incomplete.
After the turnover on
downs, the Lions’ Kevin Fields scampered 43 yards down the right sideline as Henderson set up on the Hawks’ 18-yard line. Three plays later, Fields capped the 4-play drive with a 7-yard TD to knot the game at 7-all.
Pleasant Grove fumbled on its second play after the Henderson score. Axel Romero hit a 43-yard field goal to give the Lions a 10-7 lead.
Kamren Woods leapt into the air and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Harmon on the Hawks’ next possession. The score gave PG a 14-10 lead and capped an eight-play, 72-yard drive in 2:35.
Woods intercepted a Henderson pass on the next possession, but the Hawks fumbled the ball. Jakobie Bussey picked up the loose ball and returned it 45 yards to give Henderson a 17-14 lead. Each team traded punts, and Pleasant Grove went into the locker room down by three.