Hawks take control in second half against Belhaven

JACKSON, Miss. – The Huntingdon football team played from behind in the first half but took control in the second half on Saturday at Belhaven.

The Hawks scored twice in the first eight minutes of the third quarter to take the lead and added two more touchdowns for a 35-21 win over the Blazers.

"We didn't play particularly well, especially in the first half, but we got the win," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "In the first half, it just seemed like we weren't locked in like we needed to be on offense. In the second half, we seemed to be more focused and we executed better. It's all about execution and it takes 11 guys on every play. When all 11 guys executed, we did well.

"Defensively, our effort level, intensity and execution were solid. The system Belhaven runs is difficult to defend, but I'm proud of our defensive effort. We were able to get to their quarterback more in the second half. We were able to get some sacks and put them in some negative yardage situations that helped us get off the field."

Belhaven (0-4) managed 370 yards of offense for the game, 207 of which came in the first half. The Hawks (2-1) held the Blazers to negative rushing yards in the second and fourth quarters. The Hawks finished with five sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

Linebackers Jacob Wright and Jake Green combined for 25 tackles for Huntingdon. Wright finished with 13 tackles and Green had 12 tackles. Defensive Back Brendon Brown picked off two passes, including one on the Blazers first possession of the second half.

After Huntingdon took a 14-10 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by John Iwaniec on the opening possession of the third quarter, Brown made the interception and returned it 24 yards to the Belhaven 38-yard line. The Hawks found the end zone in five plays, with Lorenzo James scoring on a 6-yard run.

Iwaniec accounted for four of the Hawks' five touchdowns. The junior finished with 77 yards rushing on 23 carries. His four rushing touchdowns tied the Huntingdon single-game record held by Courtney Moss and Garrett Fletcher.

Quarterback Luke Bailey finished with 180 yards passing on an 11-of-21 day. Jamichael Bibb led the receivers with five catches for 85 yards and kicker Chase Young was 5-for-5 on extra points.

Huntingdon returns to action at Samford Stadium on Oct. 3 for Homecoming. The Hawks host North Carolina Wesleyan to open USA South Athletic Conference play.

"I told the guys after the game, it's time to start the second part of our season," Turk said of the conference schedule. "It's a seven-game season that starts next week and we don't have room for any hiccups. These first three non-conference games are behind us and as we move forward, we have to be focused, we have to get better each day and we have to be ready to play each game."