Harrison Central’s season starts with a tall task
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CADIZ -- A daunting task awaits Harrison Central tonight.
A Huskies team short on age and experience makes the trek to Claymont to take on the rival Mustangs, a team coming off a playoff-qualifying season and one that returns a great deal of size and talent.
Harrison had Claymont's number recently before falling at home, 34-14, to the Mustangs.
Head coach Buddy White's return to his alma mater seems to have rejuvenated the Urichsville-based program. The team finished 6-5 in 2025 and goals are high for this season.
The team last its starting quarterback and one of its top receivers, but returns a bevy of talent, led by running back Drevonn Searcy (5-9, 160) and the 6-4, 215-pound Jackson Jinks out on the perimeter.
They will be operating behind a talented and experienced offensive line, all of which adds to a perfect situation for new quarterback, junior Brady Henry.
"He was injured last year during the middle of the season. He throws a nice ball," Harrison Central coach Anthony Hayes said. "Their backfield is talented, they have the Jinks kid who is a big, physical specimen and they are underrated up front.
"They have a lot of good playmakers and they are big, especially on the defensive side of the ball."
Compare that to Harrison's three-senior roster, one of whom is the team's kicker, albeit a dangerous one in Noah Thaxton.
Not of a lot of experience nor age on the Harrison roster, so the ups-and-downs of the preseason and scrimmage portion of the summer were expected.
"We had some good, some bad," Hayes admitted. "Lots of young kids and anytime you have up to seven 14-year-olds on the field, you're going to have good and bad."
Hayes did note he saw some positives and some growth.
Given that, his staff's primary focus is getting his young players up to speed. The Huskies' staff is controlling what it can control.
"We're very inexperienced so we want to get them up to speed and focus on improving. We keep working to improve and get ready for Claymont and the coaches have done a great job and the young guys have been receptive."
The good news? The Huskies made it through the preseason healthy.
The line, which is decent sized and anchored by senior Coltin Locke (6-1, 170) is working on gelling, drilling their assignments so it becomes muscle memory.
The key ingredient will be the units ability to communicate.
If someone lines up and shows blitz, who's going to pick him up. If a defensive tackles shades too far inside, will the center and guard recognize and communicate pre-snap to alter their blocking angles to a more advantageous one given the alignment.
"The most important thing to get through to them is learning how to communicate," Hayes said. "To sort things out and make sure they talk to one another and not come unraveled."
Harrison's first-year starting quarterback, Kingston Smith (5-9, 150) is another in a recent line of Huskies' signalcallers to earn the starting job as a sophomore.
He doesn't have the luxury of being surrounded by experience like Claymont's Henry, but Hayes has been encouraged by his progression from Day 1 until now.
"There were some early frustrations, but those are the trials you go trough as a sophomore," Hayes said. "It's the highest profile position in sports and he's learning how to be a QB.
"It'll be a year-long process but I like how he's progressing right now."
Hayes knows that Claymont will make plays. His team will make plays. The key is to stay consistent and for the Huskies to stay true to who they are.
If they can, Hayes knows they will only get better from here.
The first of many tests on a difficult Huskies' schedule kicks off at 7 p.m.