Hyre, Dunkle lead Huskies to Homecoming win over Weir

Harrison Central senior quarterback Brady Hyre threw for two touchdowns and senior receiver Kayne Dunkle hauled in 10 catches for 162 yards to lead the Huskies to a 30-14 Homecoming victory over winless Weir High on Friday night.

The Huskies (2-4) were dominant on both sides of the ball. Hyre completed 20 of 31 passes for 247 yards, while freshman Colson Crothers added two first-half touchdown grabs of 17 and 11 yards. Fellow freshman Kingston Smith scored on a one-yard run just before halftime and later threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to senior Chaz Culbertson in the fourth quarter. Smith finished 7-of-9 passing for 57 yards. Crothers ended the night with 71 yards and now leads the team with four touchdown receptions.

Dunkle once again proved to be a reliable target, moving the chains throughout the night. Despite leading the team with 29 catches and 398 receiving yards this season, he has been stopped short of the end zone multiple times, including three times inside the 2-yard line Friday.

Defensively, Harrison held Weir (0-4) to just 81 yards of offense, four first downs, and a 14 percent conversion rate on third and fourth down. Zander Stabile paced the unit with nine tackles and a forced safety as the Huskies built a 21-0 lead by halftime and eclipsed 400 yards of offense for the first time this season.

“Winning a homecoming game is always special,” head coach Anthony Hayes said. “It’s great not only for our players, but also for the entire school and community. It’s another one of the many things that make high school football so special. I thought our defense did a really good job of playing fast and finishing tackles. Are we where we want to be on defense? No. Are we getting better on defense? Yes.”

Hayes also credited his team for adjusting offensively when Weir stacked the line. “They kept seven or eight guys in the box and refused to let us run the ball. When that happens, we must take what they give us, and I thought our team did a nice job of doing that,” he said.

Eight different Huskies carried the ball for 106 yards, and the win marked Harrison’s eighth straight over Weir dating back to 2009. The Huskies now lead the all-time series 8-6.

Homecoming honors went to Nathen Dulkoski as king and Aubree Hodkinson as queen.

Next up, Harrison Central will host undefeated Indian Creek at Wagner Field, while Weir returns home to face Keyser.