Dunkle breaks school receiving record as Harrison Central claims VALES trophy

For senior wide receiver Kayne Dunkle, his name is heading into the records books of the Harrison Central football program. For the 2025 edition of the Harrison Central Huskies, well, they are adding yet another engraved plate on the four-foot tall VALES trophy thanks to a 41-14 season-capping victory over Buckeye Local on Oct. 24.

“What a great way to send our seniors out. Not many people can say that they won their last-ever football game, but our seniors can say that for the rest of their lives," said Harrison Central coach Anthony Hayes, whose team started the season 0-4 but won 4 of its last 6. "I could not be happier for our kids and prouder of our kids. We finished really strong.” 

The Huskies turned a 14-0 halftime lead into a 27-7 advantage by the end of the third quarter. Senior Jacob Quito took a jet motion handoff into the end zone from four yards out to open up the scoring in the first quarter. Harrison Central’s new all-time receptions in a season leader, Dunkle, then pulled down a slant route from Brady Hyre in the second frame. Placekicker Noah Thaxton nailed both PATs to give the Huskies the 14-0 edge.

It was a big third quarter for the Huskies, who got touchdowns from sophomores Lance Smith and Olin Wade. Smith hauled in a Hyre toss from 28 yards out on a fourth-down snap to push the lead to 20-0. After the Panthers responded with a scoring drive of their own, Wade rumbled into the end zone a yard out to run the tally to 27-7. The third quarter also saw the record books rewritten for the Huskies as Hyre connected with Dunkle for the fourth time on the night in the frame, a reception that pushed Dunkle to 57 on the year and jumped him over former record-holder Trevor Carman who snagged 56 balls in 2021.

In the final 12 minutes, Wade hit the pylons again for his second touchdown on the evening, this time from five yards. With the Huskies now leading 34-7, senior linebacker Zander Stabile put the exclamation point on his high school football career when he stepped in front of an errant Panther pass and returned it 80 yards to the house.

“We had good senior leadership this season, and some of our younger kids stepped into that role as well," said Hayes. "We played a very tough schedule, and I believe nine of those games could have gone either way. The fact that we remained mentally tough and got better each day is just a testament to the hearts of our kids and my staff. 

"We got better in all phases of the game throughout the year. I thought that our offense became multiple when needed and our defense kept maturing each week. I just couldn't be prouder of this team."

The Huskies squared off with six playoff teams this year, so Hayes wasn’t far off when he mentioned the competitiveness of the slate. The 4-6 mark for the year landed the Huskies in 17th in the Div. V,  Region 17 rankings.

Hyre finished 8 of 18 passing for 119 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Dunkle led the receiving corps with 41 yards on four catches with the touchdown, while Smith and Quito both made their lone catches count for touchdowns. Beau Rinkes carried the load on the ground, pounding his way to a 141-yard performance on 14 carries. In total, the Huskies outgained the Panthers (2-8) 310-237.

Harrison will graduate a sizable senior class of 15 that retained the VALES trophy all four years of their career. The Panthers haven’t topped the Huskies since 2021 and now trail the Huskies 13-5 in the all-time series.

Cutline PIC 1- Senior Kayne Dunkle fights for yardage in the third quarter after pulling down his 57th reception of the season. A catch and run that broke the school record for receptions in a season previously held by class of 2022 receiver Trevor Carman (56). 

Cutline PIC 2- Head Coach Anthony Hayes celebrates postgame with his senior class and the VALES trophy.