Big plays and a record-setting day lead Huntingdon past LaGrange

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk challenged his team at halftime Saturday.

A fast start had been followed by a turnover-plagued performance in the first half. Nursing a four-point lead going into the third quarter, Turk wanted to see a better performance in the second half.

Huntingdon responded by scoring 31 unanswered points and closing out Senior Day with a 45-10 win over LaGrange.

"Turnovers hurt us in the first half," Turk said. "LaGrange was playing aggressive defense and we were beating our heads against the wall in the second quarter. They didn't let us run the ball like we're used to, but in doing so, they left some other areas open and we were able to take advantage of that.

"I'm happy for our seniors. They're undefeated at home and they faced the toughest schedule we've ever had."

Huntingdon travels to eighth-ranked Wesley to close out the regular season on Nov. 12. With a win, Huntingdon still has a chance to make the Division III playoffs.

"We're treating it as a must-win game," senior receiver Cody Pearcy said. "If we win, we still have a shot at making the playoffs. We're going to work hard this week. We know this could be our final week, so we're not going to hold anything back."

The Hawks (7-2) didn't hold much back against LaGrange (3-6) in the second half. Huntingdon outscored the Panthers 21-0 in the third quarter and took advantage of big plays throughout the game. Three of Huntingdon's touchdowns covered 65 yards or more. Entering the fourth quarter, Huntingdon was averaging better than 11 yards per play for the game. The Hawks finished with 548 yards of offense on 59 plays.

"We came out early and jumped on them. But we had a couple of turnovers that gave them the momentum in the second quarter," Pearcy said. "In the second half, we knew we had to come out and execute better. We played the best third quarter we've played all season."

Pearcy played one of his best games as a Hawk. With six receptions for 233 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday, he set or tied four Huntingdon records.

"Those are goals I've had, but it's not something you think about during the game," Pearcy said. "I knew I needed one touchdown catch to set that record, but beyond that, I wasn't thinking about it. If you're focused on individual goals, the chance is you're going to mess up and you're not going to help the team. During a game, I just try to keep my mind clear and let the game come to me."

Pearcy's first catch, a 69-yard touchdown reception from Neal Posey in the first quarter, gave him his 23rd career receiving touchdown and moved him past Jacob Godwin for first place in the Huntingdon record books.

His third reception, a 65-yard touchdown from Posey, gave Pearcy the school's career record for receiving yards. A 52-yard pass from Posey to Pearcy late in the third quarter gave the Phenix City native the single-game record for receiving yards.

Pearcy held the previous record of 183 yards in a game. The three touchdowns matched the school record held by Pearcy, Willie McDowell and Mark Colson. This was the third time Pearcy has scored three touchdowns in a game.

"I think he might have broken the record for breaking records today," senior running back Parker Roberts joked. "He is such a great player. Every team has good athletes, but Pearcy is so fast, it's tough for people to cover him. He's always been a team player, but this season, being a senior and a team captain, he's stepped up even more."

With 143 receptions, 2,595 yards and 25 touchdowns for his career, Pearcy needs just three more catches to own all three records.

"He's definitely a weapon for us," Turk said. "We've gone to him a lot when we've needed big plays, and more often than not, he's made those plays."

Pearcy wasn't the only playmaker. Posey had a near-perfect day, completing 17-of-20 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Trevor Manuel rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns and completed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Pearcy. Manuel's first touchdown run covered 23 yards and his second scoring run covered 68 yards.

Defensively, Huntingdon held LaGrange to 294 yards on 73 plays. Defensive lineman D.J. Chappell led the unit with 10 tackles, two sacks and a tackle for loss. Defensive back Keith Anthony added nine tackles and linebacker Xavier Singleton recorded eight tackles and was in on two tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Jeremy Murphy had one interception.

"We wanted our seniors' final home game to end on a good note," Chappell said. "We wanted to send them out the right way."

Corey Robertson and Roberts closed out Huntingdon's scoring. Robertson kicked a 22-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter and Roberts scored on a 28-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

"As a senior, it's big to be undefeated at home this season," Roberts said. "For me, my last play on this field was a touchdown. That's going to be a good memory."