RABBITTOWN — East Hall running back Cambren Harrison scored six touchdowns and Class AAA’s No. 1 offense piled up 700 yards in a 62-42 win over Union County Friday night in a key Region 7-AAA showdown at East Hall Stadium.
While both offenses came in with high-powered weapons -- the Panthers were No. 3 in offense in Class AAA -- the early play of the East Hall defense helped set the tone.
The Vikings defense forced three punts and stopped Union County twice on downs in the first half. Meanwhile, the Vikings (5-1, 2-0 Region 7-AAA) scored on their first five possessions to run out to a 35-14 halftime lead.
The Panthers (4-2, 0-2) never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
Union County started strong, taking the opening kickoff 80-yards in in just over three minutes, capped by a 26-yard touchdown pass from Cole Wright to Sawyer Drake for a quick 7-0 lead.
It took just 70 seconds for the Vikings to answer when Austin Parker, the state’s leading passer, found Sedrion Morse on a 44-yard bomb to tie the game at 7-7.
On their next possession, the Panthers faced a fourth down and tried a fake punt, but the pass was dropped. East Hall capitalized quickly. Parker and Mon Prather connected for a 49-yard pass to the Union County 1 and Cambren Harrison finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and a 14-7 East Hall lead.
The Vikings defense then forced another Panthers punt and Harrison capped a 93-yard drive in just 2:17 with a 10-yard scoring run for a 20-7 lead after a missed extra point.
Union County pulled within 20-14 on its next drive when Wright and Kyle Morlock hooked up for a 15-yard scoring pass to cap a 61-yard drive but the Vikings wasted little time answering back when Parker hit a simple out rout to Austin Brock, who broke a tackle and raced the final 77 yards for an 80-yard touchdown and a 28-14 lead after Parker ran in a 2-point conversion with 8:27 left in the half.
Another Union County punt and then Parker used a 35-yard run to set a third Harrison touchdown run from 1-yard out for a 35-14 lead. The Panthers did not get closer than 13 the rest of the way.
The East Hall defense stopped the Panthers on downs on their next possession and then denied Union County again to end the half when a Wright pass into the end zone on a 3rd-and-goal dropped incomplete as time ran out.
Brock had a huge first half with three catches for 122 yards and a score, along with two drive-ending tackles-for-loss on defense.
East Hall picked up where it left off to start the second half when Parker engineered another scoring drive, capped by Harrison’s third 1-yard scoring run to push the lead to 42-14.
The Panthers, however, finally started to get things going. Wright capped the next Union County drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, and after Parker and Morse connected on a 23-yard scoring pass for the Vikings, Wright and Drake combined on a pair of touchdown passes of 19 and 36-yards, the second coming early in the fourth quarter to close the gap to 49-35.
But the Vikings sealed it with another long drive, capped by Harrisons fifth touchdown run to push the lead to 55-35 with 6:01 left. Both teams scored late touchdowns for the final score.
SCORING SUMMARY
UNION COUNTY.......7......7.....14....14 -- 42
EAST HALL............14.....21....14....13 -- 62
First Quarter
UC -- Drake 26 pass from Wright (PAT good) 7-0, 8:27
EH -- Morse 44 pass from Parker (PAT good) 7-7, 7:17
EH -- Harrison 1 run (PAT good) 14-7, 4:55
Second Quarter
EH -- Harrison 10 run (kick failed) 20-7, 11:05
UC -- Morlock (#84) 15 pass from Wright (PAT good) 20-14, 8:48
EH -- Brock 80 pass from Parker (Parker run) 28-14, 8:27
EH -- Harrison 1 run (PAT good) 35-14, 4:03
Third Quarter
EH -- Harrison 1 run (PAT good) 42-14, 9:42
UC -- Wright 7 run (PAT good) , 7:25
EH -- Morse 23 pass from Parker (PAT good) 49-21, 5:47
UC -- Drake 19 pass from Wright (PAT good) 49-28, 3:34
Fourth Quarter
UC -- Drake 36 pass from Wright (PAT good) 49-35, 10:45
EH -- Harrison 1 run (kick failed) 55-35, 6:01
UC -- Buzzard 4 pass from Wright (PAT good) 55-42, 2:46
EH -- E -- Harrison 1 run (PAT good) 62-42, 1:46
