Hawks take control early on Homecoming

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Huntingdon football team built a big lead in the first half on Saturday and celebrated Homecoming with a 51-14 win over Greensboro.

Huntingdon scored three touchdowns in the first 20 minutes of the game and built a 30-point lead in the second half before the reserves added two late touchdowns.

"Every win feels good but you always want to win on Homecoming," senior receiver Brantley Carr said. "You want to make the alumni proud. The former players that were here today, those are the guys that helped establish our winning traditions and we want to show them that we're still working to keep those traditions going."

The Hawks rolled up a season-high 561 yards of offense and led 24-7 at the half. Defensively, Huntingdon (3-2, 2-1 USA South) gave up a first-quarter touchdown and a fourth-quarter touchdown and frustrated Greensboro (1-3, 1-1 USA South) the entire game.

"This was a good win and it's definitely something we can continue to build on," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "Offensively, we did some good things. We made some big plays and we were also able to run the ball and throw the ball. But, the turnovers and penalties are two big disappointments. We have to get better in those areas.

"I was pleased with the job our defense did. The defense was solid all day. Greensboro scored on us early, but we adjusted and we didn't give up a lot after that. Our coaches made some good calls and our guys played well."

The Huntingdon defense allowed a season-best 244 yards of offense. After giving up a 63-yard scoring drive on Greensboro's first possession of the game, the Hawks held the Pride to 181 yards for the remainder of the game.

Linebackers Jake Green and Zach Brownell combined for 17 tackles before sitting the fourth quarter as the reserves hit the field. Green had a team-high nine tackles and Brownell had eight tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss. Defensive back Jeremy Murphy picked off his third pass of the season and linebacker Jake Rhodes forced one fumble.

Offensively, sophomore quarterback Luke Bailey passed for 299 yards, three touchdowns and an interception on a 20-for-30 day. Bailey connected with Darius Dawsey for a 26-yard touchdown, Carr for a 49-yard touchdown and Zach Camp for a 10-yard touchdown. Carr finished with 66 yards receiving and Nick Haas had four catches for 63 yards.

Five Hawks combined to rush for 262 yards. Sophomore running back John Iwaniec finished with 95 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and sophomore Jay Ware had 56 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Bailey ran for 70 yards on nine attempts.

Senior Aaron Cox and freshman Lorenzo James both scored their first collegiate touchdowns. Cox scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter and James scored the final touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run.

Senior Jimbo Turk was 6-for-7 on extra points and kicked a 19-yard field goal to close out the first half.