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Buna Stays Perfect

KFDM COOP

By KFDM COOP
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Hardin's winning streak broken by Buna, 49-32 

By: KEVIN LADD , SPORTS 

Hornets' prolific offense unable to keep up with Cougar onslaught

BUNA - The Hardin Hornets under Head Coach Larry Haynes rolled into Buna last Friday night and came away with their first defeat of the season, losing there by a score of 49 to 32.

A lighted sign at a neighborhood food market pronounced "Hardin Will Go Down" in bold letters, which proved to be not all that neighborly but certainly prophetic. The Hornets, it should be noted for the record, did not go down easily.

The powerful Hornet offense may have sputtered a few times in the first half but played with a lot of heart in the second and took the game to Buna until the final seconds of the contest. Quarterback Jordan Nolan finished the evening with 28 completions for 422

passing yards and remains one of the most outstanding signal callers in the state.

Buna won the opening coin toss and chose to receive.

That opening drive showed Cougars Coach Bradley Morgan's offensive strategy was to keep the ball on the ground, keep it away from Hardin, and run off a lot of clock time. They stuck with that approach throughout the evening.

In their very first possession, Buna scored at 7:55 in the first quarter when Justin Carrell caught a 25-yard pass from QB Ryan Shepherd. The extra point kick made the score 7-0 in Buna's favor.

Their next score came on a 55-yard run from hard-charging Anthony Smith with 5:11 left on the clock during the first period. Kyle Clark's kick made it 14-0. Buna followed that early in the second quarter with a Brian Holmes touchdown run of 15 yards. The point after kick made it 21-0 with 10:51 left to play in the second period.

The Hornets put together their first scoring drive on the next possession, with receivers Daniel Marsh and Hunter Davis making big catches and John Stelly churning up the sod. The touchdown came on a 27-yard pass from Nolan to Marsh, with 8:02 on the clock.

With the 25-second clock about to run out, Marsh hurried up his extra point kick and missed. Buna 21, Hardin 6.

Before the second quarter ended, Blanton Clark gave the Cougars two more touchdowns, both coming off of two-yard runs. Kyle Clark's PAT's were successful, and the half ended with Buna on top 35-6.

In years past, such a lop-sided score might have led the Hornets to quietly surrender to a bigger offensive line and an excellent Cougars ground attack. But the Hornets under Larry Haynes didn't show any sign of quitting.

Fans formed a "Spirit Line" along the track as the players returned to the stadium. The crowded visitors bleachers gave the young men a standing ovation and loud applause.

The Hornets received the opening kickoff of the second half and showed some of their customary glamour, but the drive faltered. Hardin would not get their next touchdown until late in the third period when John Stelly made a two-yard plunge across the

goal line with 2:44 left in the third. Marsh's kick made the score 35-13.

The Hornets mounted another drive and scored early in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard pass from Nolan to Davis with 11:20 on the clock. The 95-yard drive was capped off with Marsh's point after kick, which left the score 35-20.

Marsh followed that with a successful on-side kick, but the drive fell short and Buna took over on downs.

Brian Holmes scored on a 2-yard run for the next Cougars touchdown with 5:17 left on the clock. The score was Buna 42, Hardin 20.

Hardin came back for another scoring drive, with Patrick Day picking up the touchdown on a 1-yard run with 3:01 left to play. The kick by Marsh went wide left, and the score was 42-26.

Taking over on downs with 1:40 on the clock, Buna scored in one play, with Anthony Smith rambling 37 yards for the TD. With the extra point, Buna extended their lead to 49-26 with 1:32 left on the clock.

With nothing more than pride at stake, Nolan fired up the Hornet offense one last time and moved down the field. Day scored the final touchdown on a 16-yard pass from Nolan. The point after kick failed, but Hardin came away with 33 points against one of the best teams they have faced all season.

They prepare for the Kountze Lions at home this Friday night and East Chambers two weeks after that. 

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