Hawks Take Down NC Wesleyan On Senior Day

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- In their final game of the season, Huntingdon football (8-2 overall, 6-1 USA South) shut out the Battling Bishops of NC Wesleyan (4-6 overall, 4-5 USA South) 21-0 on Senior Day.

Prior to the event, Huntingdon recognized the following seniors for their accomplishments on and off the field.

#1 Kahari McReynolds

#2 Cam Reynolds

#4 Will Pilgrim

#6 Carson Daniel

#7 Tyler England

#9 Connor Recio

#11 Dylan Killingsworth

#12 Kyler Chaney

#13 Denzel Greene

#18 Connor Bradford

#21 Ty Martinez

#24 Jaden Hester

#28 Austin Colston

#29 James Cheatham

#38 Ty Brown

#40 Kye Capolupo

#41 Nic Lee

#41 Tucker Spence

#56 Chase Lang

#77 Walt Williams

At halftime, Huntingdon recognized the following senior cheerleaders as a part of the senior day activities.

Natalie Harris

Madison Jasinski (captain)

Shannon McCarty

Mary Grace McInnis

Erin McIntyre

Mackenzie Nolan

Dezi Price-Grant

Bailee Smith

Campbell Thornton

Grace Wiggins

Mascot Emily Fendley

Highlights 

First Quarter

• With slightly rainy and cold conditions, both teams got out to slow starts, trading punts on each of their opening drives

• Huntingdon threw an interception on their second drive of the game, but would force NC Wesleyan into a 49 yard field goal attempt that was no good.

• Capitalizing on the missed field goal, Carson Daniel found Tyler England for a 16 yard touchdown throw, putting the Hawks ahead 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Second Quarter

• Going into the second quarter, Huntingdon's defense continued to dominate. On their first drive of the quarter, the Battling Bishops were forced to go three and out following a sack by Ty Martinez.

• Building on their momentum, Dorian Smith led the Hawks down the field, ending the drive with a 14 yard touchdown run from Kahari McReynolds, giving the Hawks a 14-0 lead going into halftime. 

• Huntingdon held NC Wesleyan to 3 punts and a turnover on downs on their 4 first half possessions

Third Quarter

• The third quarter started off similar to the first half with a dominant Hawks defense controlling the line of scrimmage. Huntingdon forced a three and out on the Battling Bishops first drive after a sack from Korey Anderson

• Neither team was able to generate any points in the third quarter, with each team punting the ball multiple times

• 2 key fourth down stops from the Hawks defense maintained Huntingdon's lead 14-0 entering the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter

• The fourth quarter started off much like the third quarter with four straight punts.

• Another 4th down stop on a pass break up from Denzel Greene ended a drive for NC Wesleyan, but three punts in a row ensued 

• With 1:48 left in the game, linebacker Tucker Spence intercepted a NC Wesleyan pass.

• On the following drive, Connor Bradford would scoop up a Huntingdon fumble and take it to the house, putting the Hawks ahead 21-0 with 1:25 remaining

• To ice the game, Jacoby Young would intercept another NC Wesleyan pass, letting the Hawks kneel the game out.

Key Notes 

• Led by running backs Kahari McReynolds and Troy Gardner,Huntingdon rushed for 207 yards in the game while the Hawk defense limited NC Wesleyan to -14.

• Huntingdon earned 19 first downs, limiting the Battling Bishops to just 7

Hawk Top Performers

#1 Kahari McReynolds-22 rushes for 97 yards and a touchdown

#35 Casey Peppers- 10 total tackles

#41 Tucker Spence- 9 total tackles and an interception

This was the conclusion of Huntingdon Hawks football 2023 season, be on the lookout for news about the 2024 schedule.