No. 9 Harrison proving to be the real deal after win over Woodland Park
WOODLAND PARK — The dense fog couldn’t stop a clear picture from emerging on Friday night. Harrison football might be the real deal.
A 58-7 win over Woodland Park improved Harrison to 5-0 on the season, the program’s best start in recent memory. As of Friday, the Panthers sat at No. 3 in the football RPI.
With nearly 200 passing yards per game and over 200 rushing yards per game, the offense is well-oiled. The defense proved to be opportunistic in the win over Woodland Park (2-3 overall).
Halfway through the season, the only question that might be lingering in regard to these Panthers is what are they capable of when looking at the big picture?
“That’s a good question,” Harrison coach Al Melo said. “I was happy with the way we ran the ball. We ran the ball pretty solid the whole game and when we have to throw it, we can.”
Leading the way for Harrison’s ground attack was Aumiere Sedrick. He went for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. That included runs of 53, 40 and 39 yards.
Listed at 215 pounds, the featured back is a major cog for a team that is looking at jumping up the Class 3A CHSAANow.com football rankings.
“I do this, not just for myself, but for the people on our team that aren’t able to do it,” Shedrick said. “I just take that to heart.”
The one thing Harrison was not on Friday was one dimensional. Quarterback Orlando Westbrook made the offense multi-dimensional and threw touchdown passes of 11 and 61 yards to wide receiver David Barrow.
Barrow also included a pick-six with 6:51 left in the third quarter.
Long runs and flashy plays might help a few individual names stand out for Harrison, but the overall roster is unified in its goals and doesn’t let one accomplishment overshadow another.
“We play as one,” Barrow said. “My catches don’t mean anything. Everything we do, we do as a team.”
Harrison held a 20-0 lead early in the game before Woodland Park struck and scored its only touchdown of the game. Logan Taylor broke free on a 15-yard run to get into the end zone, keeping his Panthers with ear shot.
But things unraveled in the second half. Harrison intercepted passes on four-straight possessions to seal the game.
It didn’t help that three of Woodland Park’s captains were injured through the course of the game, but coach Joe Roskam knew there were many factors that led to Harrison running away with the game.
“Turnovers for sure,” he said. “It’s not like our kids didn’t play hard. They made some plays in the first half and it just ended up being ugly.”
Woodland Park begins league play next week when it travels to Discovery Canyon.
Harrison will look to make it six-straight wins to start the season when it hosts rival Sierra. And if Friday night was any indication, Harrison will continue to flex its muscles as a 3A contender.
“We never let up at all,” Barrows said. “We always have a foot on the gas.”
