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CADIZ -- Harrison Central traveled to Urichsville last week and took Claymont's best shot in a mutual season opener.
The Mustangs scored 13 points and totaled 123 yards by halftime. Much like the 2023 debut, Harrison trailed at the half.
That all came to an end as the coaching staff and players collectively exclaimed "no more."
After rolling 100 plus yards of offense in the first half, Claymont was limited to three yards in the second--three ... yards.
The result was a 28-13 Huskies victory and a strong start to the 2024 season.
"We weren't as crisp (initially) as we'd like to be, but that happens to every team during the first week," head coach Anthony Hayes noted. "But we did a lot of good things against and our coaching staff and players did an excellent job of making adjustments."
Offensively, Harrison took advantage of solid line play and the running of senior All-Ohio performer Mykel Quito who rushed for 203 yards and three TDs on 25 carries to as part of a 322-yard, four-touchdown team rushing effort.
Harrison broke in new starting quarterback Brady Hyre by attempting only four passes of which Hyre completed three for 37 yards.
"We didn't have to throw much," Hayes admitted. "We want to control the tempo of play as we felt they wanted to play faster.
"We tried to slow it down and turn it into more of a brawl. We felt going in we matched up well (up front) and we were able to play seven or eight different guys on the line and they did a great job."
Next up is a meeting with Buckeye Trail (1-0) on Friday in Cadiz.
The Warriors are coming off an impressive opening victory at home against a Caldwell team coming off a state semifinal appearance.
The Redskins lost some talent to graduation, but the 21-19 triumph in Old Washington still rates as an impressive debut.
Hayes noted he and his staff noticed some new wrinkles from Trail from the Caldwell film that the Warriors didn't display during the preseason.
There's certainly no cakewalk heading to Cadiz come Friday.
"They showed some things we hadn't seen before and they did a nice job of matching Caldwell's physicality," Hayes said. "They have a nice passing game and they've sort of morphed from a Wing-T team to a spread offense.
"They have nice speed and look to be a much-improved team."
Quarterback Drew McGlumphy gives the Warriors a dangerous dual-threat option.
McGlumphy, who scored the go-ahead score on a 31-yard scamper in the second half against Caldwell, ran for 127 yards on 23 carries while passing for 107 and a TD, completing 12 of his 17 passes.
Hayes witnessed a lot of zone reads in the run game, making containment and key reading critical this week from his defensive line.
The Warriors' sizable and experienced offensive line will also be another challenge for the Huskies.
"They have some big kids, space eaters, and they were able to get a great vertical push off the ball against Caldwell," Hayes said. "They have implemented a lot more zone concepts than in the past."
If Harrison utilizes the passing game more this week, look for do-everything offensive weapon Cam McAfee to get more involved in the offense.
Against Claymont, McAfee ran for 64 yards and a score on 13 carries while hauling in a Hyre pass for 15 yards.