Prep Football: Bulldogs break out of slump

The collective sigh of relief following Harrisburg's 21-12 victory at West Frankfort could be felt from Saline County to Franklin County.

The Bulldogs got off the schnide, recording their first win of the season, ending a three-game losing streak to start the year.

It was a night where as much as Harrisburg needed a win, they also needed to kickstart their offense.

Sean Crisenberry helped in that department, netting two scores, including the first of the game for the Bulldogs from 51 yards out in the second quarter and added a 13-yard score late in the fourth that proved to be insurance for Harrisburg.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior finished his night with nine carries for 89 yards.

Harrisburg head coach Jason Roper, who led the Bulldogs to their seventh straight victory over West Frankfort called Friday night's fight a tough one against a Redbird program that is "much improved."

"I was impressed with them from what they have been in the past," Roper said. "They defended the run well and we struggled at times with some of the things they were doing to us on defense. For the most part, I thought our defense played really well and I was just glad to get the win."

It was a bend, but don't break effort from the Harrisburg defense led by Lucian Hicks, Kane Carrigan and Austin Lowry, where despite giving up two late scores to West Frankfort held the Redbirds in check to just 90 rushing yards.

"We took some of our offensive linemen and put them on the defensive side and I think that helped us against the run. We took some of our skill guys and moved them to the offensive line, so we've moved some positions around to give us a better chance of stopping the run on defense."

It was also a solid ground game for Harrisburg who rushed for 210 yards and when the Bulldogs needed the pass found it in the form of a big strike from Noah Vallette to Corbin Crim in the in the third quarter, making it a 14-0 advantage for the Bulldogs.

"We completed some passes tonight, one for a two-point conversion and one for a touchdown," Roper added. "It's something that in three weeks, we've been looking for ways to effectively pass the football without shooting ourselves in the foot on drives."

Harrisburg returns to home Friday, a place they haven't been since a Week One loss to Mt. Carmel, when the Bulldogs host Massac County at 7 p.m.

Michael Dann covers prep and college sports for the Harrisburg Daily Register. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.