LEES CREEK — The visiting Huntington Huntsmen capitalized on East Clinton miscues Friday night en route to a 28-14 season-opening victory Friday night.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Huntsmen converter an Astros fumble into the first score. Isaac Taylor ran 35 yards and kicker Troy McDonald converted the PAT, with just over 2:00 remaining in the half.
Then, some trickery by the Huntsmen with an on-side kick recovered by the Huntsmen, and they scored the second touchdown on a three yard pass from quarterback Frankie Hirsch to Carson McNeal with the PAT kick good by McDonald at the 16 second mark, giving the Huntsmen a 14-0 lead at intermission.
The third touchdown of the night for Huntington was thanks to special teams, as McDonald ran 85 yards down the right sideline on a punt return, with McDonald adding the PAT.
The third Astro fumble of the night resulted in the final touchdown for the Huntsmen, which came on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Hirsh connected with Taylor on a four-yard TD pass and McDonald’s fourth PAT made it a 28-0 advantage.
East Clinton came back with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns. Aiden Conger hooked up with Grady Boggs on a 12-yard scoring strike with just under 5:00 remaining.
In the final minute of the contest, the Astros capitalized on a fumble with Boggs falling on the loose ball in the end zone. Conger converted the two-point conversion attempt, closing out the scoring, 28-14.
“Turnovers … that was the name of the game,” said Astros head coach Steve Olds in his post-game comments. “I was glad to see we still fought hard, despite falling behind by the big margin.
“Our wounds were self-inflicted and give credit to Huntington, they really capitalized on our mistakes. Like we told them at halftime, we had to play harder in the second half, which we did. We certainly played better in the second half. Can’t fault the kids for that. We just have to get better.”
SUMMARY
Aug 23, 2024
@East Clinton High School
Huntsmen 28, Astros 14
H^0^14^7^7^^28
EC^0^0^6^8^^14
First Quarter
No Scoring
Second Quarter
H: Taylor 35-yard run, McDonald PAT good. 2:13
H: McNeal, 3-yard pass from Hirsch, McDonald PAT good, 0:16
Third Quarter
H: McDonald 85-yard punt return, McDonald PAT good 7:37
Fourth Quarter
H: Taylor 4-yard pass from Hirsch, McDonald PAT good 11:53
EC: Boggs 12-yard reception from Conger, 2 point conversion failed 4:52
EC: Boggs fumble recovery in end zone, Conger 2 point run 0:48
