Hawks lose at conference co-leader Averett

DANVILLE, Va.  – The Huntingdon football team lost to Averett University 45-17 on Saturday.

The Hawks fell behind in the opening minutes, but only trailed 17-10 early in the second half. Averett pulled away in the third quarter and built a 45-10 lead in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Cougars are tied with Maryville for first in the USA South Athletic Conference standings.

Records: Huntingdon (1-5, 1-3 USA South); Averett (5-1, 4-0 USA South)

The Turning Point: A seven-minute span in the third quarter turned a seven-point game into a 28-point game.

The Hawks pulled within seven points with 10:51 left in the third quarter when Chase Young connected on a 33-yard field goal. But Averett answered almost immediately. The Cougars took advantage of opportunities and Huntingdon mistakes to score three touchdowns in the third quarter before closing their scoring in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter.

Following a 77-yard kickoff return and a personal foul by the Hawks, Averett began its first drive of the second half at the Huntingdon 6-yard line. The Cougars scored in three plays to take a 24-10 lead with 9:16 left in the third quarter.

Back-to-back turnovers led to Averett's next two touchdowns.

On Huntingdon's second drive of the second half, Averett forced a fumble and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown and a 31-10 lead with 7:31 left in the third quarter. The Hawks threw an interception on their following drive to set up a 37-yard scoring drive for the Cougars and a 38-10 lead with 3:41 left in the third quarter.

Averett scored its final touchdown with 11:15 to play in the game.

Notable

Hayes ties career tackles record: With 14 tackles on Saturday, senior linebacker Trey Hayes tied Huntingdon's career record for tackles with 289. Hayes is tied with former linebacker and Huntingdon Hall of Fame member Granger Shook. Shook set the record from 2005-2008.

A long run for Smith: Junior running back Kobe Smith scored Huntingdon's only rushing touchdown of the game with an 84-yard run with 3:17 to play in the game. The 84-yard run is the fourth longest run from scrimmage in Huntingdon history. Smith finished Saturday with a career-high 144 rushing yards.

Stat Leaders

Offense

Passing: Michael Lambert: 13/27 for 184 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs

Cody Dwyer: 21-yard touchdown pass

Receiving: Garrett Headley: 2 receptions for 69 yards

Hampton Hamner: 21-yard touchdown reception

Rushing: Kobe Smith: 10 rushes for 144 yards / 84-yard touchdown run

Eric Thomas: 19 rushes for 83 yards

Kicking:  Chase Young: 2/2 PAT; 1/1  field goals (connected on a 33-yard FG)

Defense

Tackles: Trey Hayes (14), Charlie Jones (8), Peyton DeFleron (7), Mal Caldwell (7)

Tackles for Loss: Dylan Powell (2)

Interceptions: Bailey Reece (1)

Head Coach Mike Turk on Saturday's loss: "We lost to a good football team today. We are disappointed with how we played. We turned the ball over too many times and we did not capitalize on scoring opportunities in the first half. You cannot do those things in a game like this and expect to win.  

"We have three games left this season and we are going to work on getting better every day. I don't know any other way to go about it."

Coming Up: Huntingdon hosts Greensboro College for Homecoming on Oct. 27. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.