Hawks Claim USA South Conference Champion with Defeat over Panthers
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
LaGrange (1-8) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
|
Huntingdon (9-1) | 21 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 55 |
Montgomery, Alabama – The Hawks defeated the Panthers of LaGrange 55-7 to bring their record to 9-1 overall and 7-0 in the USA South Conference. In their 20th year, Huntingdon has claimed the name of USA South Conference Champion for the fourth year in a row.
In the first period the Hawks made a 12-play drive going 73 yards in 5 minutes and 54 seconds to finally score a two-yard touchdown by Troy Garner, putting the Hawks up 7-0.
Quarterback, Landon Cotney would then score back-to-back touchdowns, the first with 3:40 left in the period on a 19-yard run; and the second with 56 seconds remaining in the period on a 38-yard run. The Hawks now led 21-0 at the end of the first.
At the start of the 2nd period, the Hawks struck again on 53-yard drive, Conner Bradford would catch a 19-yard pass from Landon Cotney. (28-0) LaGrange would push the ball for a 70-yard drive, ending in a 3-yard run for their only touchdown of the game. (28-7)
In 8 plays, with 38 seconds remaining in the second period, the Hawks, Jalen Pugh runs it in the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown. Score of 35-7 at the half.
The second half of the game was all Hawks, with three more touchdowns. Two of them came in the 3rd period from a 4-yard run by Troy Garner and another 4-yard run by Khalil Nettles. (48-7) The last touchdown of the game would come from Khalil Nettles 8-yard run with 10:55 remaining. Bringing the final score to 55-7, all Hawks.
Head Coach Mike Turk on the win:
"It's cool to be here. We have not been able to celebrate the Conference Championship here since 2015, so we are thankful for that and all of our guys for all they have done to get us here. Our mindset for playoffs is to keep playing, when you are in that situation, the only way you get to keep playing is if you win and we have been fortunate enough to do that. We are going to enjoy this and start getting ready for the playoffs."
The NCAA selection show will be held tomorrow 11/13/2022 at 4:00 PM CST on NCAA.com (https://www.ncaa.com/sports/football/d3)