Harrison Central pushes undefeated Indian Creek before falling 41–28

The Indian Creek Redskins arrived at Wagner Field undefeated and departed in the same fashion last Friday night, but that doesn’t mean the Harrison Central Huskies didn’t make them work for it. 

For nearly three full quarters, there was something looming in the air that felt like an upset could be in the making. However, every time the Huskies reached for that special something hanging in the atmosphere, Indian Creek’s Bruce Mazar would emerge into the open field for one of his five touchdowns in the 41-28 victory. Mazar proved to be the difference, leading the Redskins with 267-yards rushing and 79-yards receiving for a total of 346 marks on the night. 

The Huskies (2-5) and Redskins (7-0) were tied 7-7 after one. Creek opened the scoring with a 25-yard scoring strike off the arm of quarterback Ian Starkey that connected Mazar to the pylons. Huskies quarterback Brady Hyre came prepared for the duel though, finding senior Chaz Culbertson in the flats for a nine-yard touchdown to tie the game with 5:35 remaining in the opening frame. On the preceding snap, fellow senior Kayne Dunkle hauled in a 43-yard dart from Hyre to set up the Huskies first score. 

The Redskins flexed their muscle in the second, with Starkey breaking free for a 44-yard touchdown run, and Mazar following that up with a 37-yard sprint to the endzone. Down 21-7, the Huskies needed an answer before halftime and the combination of Hyre and freshman Colson Crothers filled the need. Hyre connected with Crothers on a 10-yard stop and go route that landed Crothers in the endzone. Noah Thaxton nailed the PAT and the two teams would head for the intermission in a one possession game. 

"I believe that our young men fought hard tonight. I am very proud of their effort. That's a good team over there and they are 7-0 for a reason. The scoreboard displays a 13-point win for them, but it is not indicative of how close this game was,” said Huskies Head Coach Anthony Hayes. 

Hayes was accurate in his summary, at least until the beginning of the fourth quarter. After the Redskins went up 28-14 in the third on another Mazar touchdown run, this time from 18-yards out; the Huskies didn’t fold. 

Later in the quarter, Dunkle picked off a Starkey toss, and the senior then took a post route through the Indian Creek defense for a 32-yard touchdown. The Huskies defense then stopped the Redskins to get the ball back with an opportunity to tie the game, but the roadblocks of the early season popped back up as two penalties derailed the drive and forced a punt. Mazar would find the end zone with 1:35 remaining in the third, and again on the first play from scrimmage in the fourth on a 51-yard run making it 41-21. Creek would spend the rest of the game managing a two possession or more lead. 

“We may have had a few missed opportunities on the film, but one thing is for sure we left our guts on the field tonight. I am proud of that. We tell our kids that no matter what, keep swinging and we will see what the film shows. Play every rep like it has a life of its own. When it is over, move on and make the next one better. We keep growing and we are getting better. Not just on Fridays, but most importantly, in our weekly preparation,” Hayes said. 

Hyre scrambled to pay dirt from three yards out with 4:58 remaining to cut the lead to 41-28, but that would cap all scoring on the evening. 

Hyre was busy in the backfield, finishing 22/44 passing for 269 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball ten times for 36-yards and a score. To no surprise, his favorite target in the air was Dunkle. The senior receiver finished with 11 catches for 179 yards and the lone touchdown. Culbertson hauled in three receptions for 53-yards and a score, while Crothers caught four passes for 19-yards and a score. Sophomore Lance Smith pulled down three snags for 18-yards to round out the receiving leaders. 

The Redskins outrushed the Huskies 405-74 and outgained the home squad 495-343 in total offense. 

Hayes is prepared to move his team down the stretch with three contests that could be competitive if the Huskies play like they did in the first three quarters against Creek. “We will now focus our attention to Bellaire, as it just another opportunity for us to get better,” the coach said.