Harvest Prep shakes pesky West M
CANAL WINCHESTER — West Muskingum had an opportunity to make second seed Harvest Prep sweat on Friday night.
Rashid Sesay's 21-yard TD burst cut the Warriors' lead to 26-16 midway through the third quarter, then the Tornadoes recovered the ensuing onside kick.
However, West Muskingum couldn't pay it off, as Jake Anton's fourth-down pass to Slater Sampsel in the end zone sailed out of bounds.
Harvest Prep made sure it was the Tornadoes' last hurrah, scoring the final 21 points to secure a 47-16 victory in the Division V, Region 19 second round.
The undefeated Warriors advanced to face Wheelersburg, while West Muskingum capped a historic season at 9-3.
Coach Nate Brownrigg praised his Tornadoes, who battled despite trailing 14-0 early in the second quarter and 20-9 at the half.
"They're a special team over there. They're very physical, and they play very fast, but our group plays through it all," Brownrigg said. "Our guys believed in our mission coming in, but we weren't able to execute our plan like we wanted. We had some things go our way, and some things didn't. But, I can't fault their effort. They never quit."
West Muskingum had a chance to strike early, taking the opening drive to the Harvest Prep 16-yardline. The Tornadoes were aided by a pass interference call on a fourth down and a facemask penalty, but a holding call on West M led to a fourth-and-8. The Warriors' pressure caused Anton to scramble and fumble at the Harvest Prep 37 to end the drive.
The Warriors took advantage of the stop. Their ensuing series featured 10 straight running plays with quarterback Aidan Rogers capping the 63-yard drive with a 4-yard TD run. Aijulan Sharpe added the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 4:19 left in the first quarter.
The next Tornado series reached midfield but a loss on the third down forced them to punt. Harvest Prep had a quick answer, Rogers completed three straight passes, including a 24-yard connection to Elijah Brown, which set up Shawn Ruffin's 21-yard scoring burst at the 10:42 mark of the second. Another Sharpe point after stretched the lead to 14-0.
Defense and special teams brought life back to West Muskingum. Slater Sampsel's punt on the ensuing drive pinned the Warriors at their own 2. Two plays later, Ty Shawger sacked Rogers in the end zone for a safety, and Sesay followed by returned the ensuing free kick about 60 yards for a touchdown. Silas Kuhn's extra point suddenly made it 14-9 Prep with 7:50 left in the first half.
Harvest Prep answered by recovering an onside kick near midfield. The Warriors were assisted by a West M personal foul on the drive, while Rogers found Justin Batista for 19 yards. Rogers later scored from six yards out with 4:29 left in the half, but the two-point pass failed, as the advantage was 20-9.
It was the lead the Warriors took into the locker room after Sampsel intercepted a Rogers pass in the final minute of the second quarter.
A big kickoff return set up Harvest Prep at midfield to open the third. Rogers hit Ruffin down the seam for 26 yards to open the drive, and four plays later, Rogers scored his third TD, a 6-yarder, for a 26-9 lead about 90 seconds into the second half.
West Muskingum was able to grab momentum, thanks to a pair of Warrior personal fouls on its next possession. It led to Sesay's score, and after the Tornadoes recovered the kick, Sesay broke off a 9-yard run on third down with another Warrior personal foul moving the ball to the Harvest Prep 19. West M followed with an incompletion and two short runs before Anton missed Sampsel in the corner of the end zone.
Harvest Prep needed only four plays to regain momentum after the turnover on downs. The Warriors called three straight runs before Rogers threaded a pass between two West M defenders and into the hands of Chris Brown, who raced 72 yards down the sideline for the score. Rogers found Marquez Colvin for two points, and the lead was 34-16 with 2:40 left in the third.
In the fourth, Chello Cox Jr. added a 28-yard scoring run and Rogers capped the scoring with a 3-yard TD run, his fourth of the night.
Sesay finished with 47 yards on 17 carries and Shawger had 14 rushes for 46 yards in his final game as a Tornado. Anton was held to 5-of-14 passing for 28 yards with three receptions to Sesay for six yards, one to senior Slater Sampsel for nine and one to Conner Hill for 13 yards.
The efforts of his players, especially the seniors, is what stuck out to Brownrigg. He hopes the example set by his senior class will permeate through his roster.
"The seniors were sophomores when we came in, and they bought in from the start," Brownrigg said. "These guys have set the standard, and it's up to the younger guys to continue it. I want them to remember this feeling and hopefully, it fuels them. Our expectations will remain the same, but our goals will change.
"This was a history-making team, and I'm proud of everything they accomplished."
Rogers finished 14-of-18 passing for 291 yards, including a 5-of-5 effort for 144 yards in the third. He also had 57 yards on 12 rushes, Cox totaled 59 yards on six totes and Batista caught seven passes for 99 to lead the Warriors.
bhannahs@gannett.com; @brandonhannahs
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Harvest Prep shakes pesky West M
