This Friday night, the Harmony Grove Hornets (1-1) look to bounce back in a big way in their final non-conference game of the 2021 season. The Hornets will take on the Harding Academy Wildcats (2-1), the latter of whom are coming off a dominating 42-7 victory over the Heber Springs Panthers last Friday.
The Hornets are coming off a tough road trip loss, 22-20, to the Fordyce Redbugs last Friday night. The defense for Harmony Grove was highly efficient in crashing the Fordyce backfield and creating chaos. The Hornets' defense played great in several situations and adapted in key formation changes, but they eventually ran out of steam as they allowed too many long drives.
The offense of the Hornets had some moments to score, but a combination of poor clock management and experiencing pressure from the opposing Redbugs defense resulted in drives short of the goal line. However, Harmony Grove's offense only allowed for 272 total yards on offense in the entire game.
Harmony Grove will have to face another team that has a tenacious front-seven. Most of the Wildcats' talented players play in the defensive line and linebacker corps. These are also the units that have the most depth on Harding Academy's team. The Wildcats have two defensive tackles in Cooper Welch and Levi Mercer, who combined for 90 total tackles last season. In three games this season, Welch and Cooper have combined for 26 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss.
Hornets quarterback Caleb Johnson will have to be sharp in the pocket to detect when there is pressure from the interior. The main concern for Harding will be their man coverage cornerbacks, as they are still trying to develop their starters. This could be a big game for Hornets wide receivers Logan Garrett and Titus Lockhart. These are two receivers that can make contested catches against an aggressive defensive back. Overall, the offensive line will need to keep the pocket from collapsing and watch out for potential blitzers.
The defense for Harmony Grove might have to pull some extra weight as the offense will face some big challenges. The good news for the Hornets is that the new Wildback quarterback hasn't faced an aggressive defense like Harmony Grove has, so far, this season. In just two games this season, the defense for the Hornets shut out the Junction City Dragons in their 39-0 win in week one and held an efficient Fordyce offense to 22 points.
In just two games this season, Harmony Grove's defense has accumulated 11 tackles for loss. Last week, Hornets defensive end Logan McCann and outside linebacker Jermaine Edwards were constantly in the backfield finishing the plays with tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Daniel Hill is another feared blitzer that can create chaos in the opposing offense's backfield. Finally, Hornets nose guard Walker Sweat is not a defender that gets back often, he will be a player to watch for as Harding tries to open their offense with an efficient run game.
Hornets cornerbacks Titus Lockhart will have a big role this Friday night as he will likely have to be paired up with senior wide receiver Jackson Fox. Wildcats new starting quarterback Kade Smith relies on Fox to open often, which could make reading the Harding Academny's plays easy for potential turnovers. If Harmony Grove's defense can keep Harding Academy's offense one-dimensional and force some turnovers, similar to the game against Junction City, the Hornets have a great shot.
Harmony Grove and Harding Academy's kick off at 7 p.m. this Friday night.
Who will win? Vote in our Week 4 High School Football Poll.