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CADIZ -- Harrison Central responded in a big way following its first loss, taking it to previously undefeated Union Local by a 49-6 count last Friday at Wagner Field.
The road doesn't get any easier as the Huskies must entertain a team coming off a similar situation as they were the week prior.
East Liverpool clashed with Buckeye 8-rival Beaver Local in Week 4, putting its spotless record on the line. After outscoring its previous three opponents 105-7, the Potters were humbled to the tune of 55-13 by a dangerous Beavers' team.
Harrison head coach Anthony Hayes knows that score isn't indicative of the Potters prowess and is expecting a talented -- and focus -- East Liverpool team heading to Cadiz on Friday night.
"Number one, Beaver is a really good football team and (Coach Mike) McKenzie has them rolling now for a few year," Hayes said. "I think for East Liverpool, it was one of those nights were they made some errors, and you can't do that against a team like Beaver because they will exploit it.
"I hate to say you have to play flawless football, but at least nearly flawless. That game is not indicative of where Liverpool is because they are a very good football team that is extremely well coached and they will be looking to bounce back."
Stopping the Potters must consistent of eliminating, or at minimum slowing down junior quarterback Gavin Wright. Despite a rough outing vs. Beaver, Wright is averaging 181 yards per game with nine touchdowns against three picks. He's also the team's leading rusher with 272 yards on 50 carries, followed closely by fellow junior Jaymin Haney.
Haney has 253 yards and four TDs on 42 carries.
While Dorian Burchett is the Potters' big-play threat on the outside -- Burchett averages 36 yards per reception -- Wright does like to spread it around between a capable trio in Quitin Conrad, Blake Adkins, and the aforementioned Burchett. Each has nine catches through four weeks.
"They are very athletic on the outsides and the kids are fast and possess good size," Hayes said. "They are long ,athletic kids and their tight end (D'shawn Kirby) is big and athletic.
"They can pose a lot of problems for defenses with the amount of weapons they have."
Kirby is a big target at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds. He has four catches for 53 yards and a score.
It's not doom and gloom for Harrison, however. The Huskies are 3-1 and are coming off a 49-6 win against Union Local. Hayes was looking for more consistency from the team's passing game and better balance overall heading to Week 4's tussle with the Jets. He got it.
Hayden Cassidy finished an efficient 8 of 14 for 124 yards and two touchdowns against zero picks. His QBR of 126.2 was his best this season, by far. He's averaging 133 yards per game and evened his TD to INT numbers at five apiece.
I think this was probably the first game all year we executed everything we prepared all week in practice," Hayes said. "To some, it may seem like we were running something completely different, but we just executed what we've been working on all year long and it was good to see that succeed.
"It's also nice for the kids to see that since we talk all of the time about the important of preparation and winning every day and playing hard in practice, not just in games. They got to see that pay off and it solidifies the important in their minds."
Parker Hutton is the main beneficiary of Cassidy's resurgence. The senior wideout has 19 catches for 249 yards and thee scores. Alex Fluharty now has two touchdowns and Cassidy is also spreading the wealth to Cam McAfee and Clayton Vermillion. Both have 10 receptions through four games, second only to Hutton.
Running back Mykel Quito is still the team's consistent workhorse on the ground. He's averaging nearly 120 yards per game while adding seven rushing touchdowns.