A much-improved Harrison team welcomes Clinton-Massie Friday night in the final non-league matchup of the season for the Falcons.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at HHS.
Harrison is a member of the four-team Southwest Ohio Conference with Mt. Healthy, Northwest and Talawanda.
The teams have met just twice with Clinton-Massie winning both — 31-17 last year and 42-10 in 2021.
But this is a different Wildcats football team.
“Harrison is a Division II school that looks to be much improved from a year ago,” Massie coach Dan McSurley said. “They have a nice transfer quarterback from Reading High School, Dick Engel. They appear to be pretty much two platoon so we both cancel each other out in that category.”
Harrison (3-1) lost to East Central High School out of Indiana 42-7 but has wins over Taylor (37-8), Indian Hill (35-17) and Western Hills (42-0).
Engel has passed for 490 yards and five touchdowns while running for nearly 250 yards. Cole Koops, a 210-pound running back, leads the Wildcats with 415 yards on 44 carries and six touchdowns. He did not play in the East Central game. Luke Rogers is the top reeiver with 18 catches for 333 yards and four touchdowns.
The Falcons are flying along at 4-0 with wins over Waynesville (38-8), Edgewood (42-0), Tri-Valley (24-14) and Mt. Healthy (28-26).
The win over Mt. Healthy last week was a big win for the program, in many ways but specifically Harbin ratings points. The Owls are a top-notch Division III team who rallied from a 28-12 deficit to make a game of it.
And McSurley was more than OK with that.
“I told the kids these kinds of games are invaluable in a regular season game,” he said. “The mental ability to adjust and defend the speed and athleticism that Mt. Healthy showed us Friday night was huge. Also, knowing that any one or two plays can make the difference down the road when the stakes are high.”
McSurley said his team’s ability to control the clock with the running game (What’s new?) was a big factor in the win as was his team’s defensive smarts.
“Our defensive IQ this year allows us to game plan and be unpredictable,” he said.
