Huntington rolls, roughs up Southeastern for first win of the season

CHILLICOTHE − The celebration started before the running clock had even run out. A slow trickle of cheers and hollers cascaded up and down Huntington's sideline as the final minutes of its game against Southeastern ticked away.

By the time the clock had hit zero, the Huntsmen were rushing toward the north goal at Southeastern High School, exchanging embraces and repeating cheers that rolled in with an evening fog that began to blanket the stadium.

In the postgame huddle, coach Clay Beeler addressed his team. Six weeks of buildup led up to Friday night. For one night, everything clicked for Huntington. A 47-12 win over Southeastern, including a shutout second half, handed Huntington its first win on the season and Beeler his first win as head coach.

"Going through the summer, getting to two-a-days and then going 0-6, that is a bad grind," Beeler said. "So, seeing my kids trust the process, keep working, we didn't have any quitters and for them to finally get a taste of success in something that they believed in through thick and thin it means a lot. It is my first win, but it's all about these kids."

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No time went to waste, Noah Potter set the pace on the Huntsmen’s first drive and never let up. The senior ran in touchdowns on the Huntsmen’s first two drives of the game. 11 seconds had elapsed in the second quarter before he recovered a fumble and ran it back 60 yards for another touchdown.

Potter briefly stepped off the field on Huntington's final drive, but he'd done more than enough. His 70-yard touchdown pass to Frankie Hirsh capped a 35-point surge for Huntington in the first half.

Southeastern had kept in tempo early after Joey Pfeifer opened the night with a one-yard touchdown run. Tyler Cutright even capitalized on a 19-yard reception from Gage Cheadle by hauling in a 66-yard touchdown reception of his own.

"Gage has been huge for us all year, he's had a good year, and we've missed Tyler the last two weeks," Southeastern coach Garett Blair said. "Their effort tonight, especially in the first half for parts of it, it kept us in the game. Their effort, their ability to get open, we like to see that from them."

But the Huntsmen had Potter under center, and the rest fell into place around him.

The senior ended the game with 157 passing yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 105 yards and another pair of scores. Potter had his fingerprints on all but two of Huntington's touchdowns. The others − a 45-yard punt return by Morgan Breniser and a 70-yard run from DJ Crocker − only added to the celebration. Crocker ended the game with 132 rushing yards, 73 receiving yards and two touchdowns to his name.

"It builds our confidence, coming out and getting that first win," Crocker said. "I feel like last week against a really good Zane Trace team, we hung in with them. This week, it all came together. The scoreboard speaks for itself."

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Huntington rolls, roughs up Southeastern for first win of the season