Prep Football: Tigers torch Harrisburg in conference finale

State-ranked Herrin lived up to that billing with a 63-21 win over Harrisburg Friday night at Taylor Field.

The backfield combination of Chase Merrill and Brent Milner proved to be too much for the Bulldogs (2-6, 2-3 SIRR Ohio) who have now missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Merrill ran seven times for 185 yards and four touchdowns. Milner added three scores and 169 yards on the ground for the Tigers (7-1, 5-0 SIRR Ohio).

The Tigers raced out to a 28-0 lead before Harrisburg got on the board with a 63-yard scoring play from Noah Vallette.

Vallette, who started the season under center for HHS before missing time with an ankle injury, had a career-high 155 yards as a tailback in the matchup with the Tigers.

"We always thought he ran the ball well from the quarterback spot, he just had some arm trouble and wasn't able to throw this summer. He wasn't able to throw that well early in the season and coming back from his ankle injury, we put him at running back, and I thought he did really well," said Harrisburg coach Jason Roper.

Junior Corbin Crim-Harbison handled the snaps once again out of the Wildcat formation and ran for 23 yards and a touchdown.

Classmate Tylor Marler picked up 117 yards on 22 carries for the Bulldogs while Lucian Hicks added a two-yard rushing score.

Herrin finished with over 450 yards rushing and scored every time it had the ball in the first half to lead 56-14 at intermission.

Jason Karnes and company finished off a perfect conference season with the win and have now won seven straight games heading into their regular season finale with Breese Central.

Harrisburg closes the year with winless Carbondale coming to Taylor Field in Week 9.

"They play in the South Seven and play some pretty good teams and some big schools with pretty good talent, and I think they're going to come in here wanting to get a win and end their season on a positive note," said Roper.

Herrin 21 35 7 0- 63

Harrisburg 0 14 0 7- 21

Team Statistics

HER HBG

First Downs 14 14

Total Net Yards 508 327

Rushes-yards 28-451 49-330

Passing 57 (-3)

Comp-Att-Int 2-3-0 1-4-0

Penalties-Yards 3-20 4-25

Fumbles lost 0 2

Individual Statistics

Rushing- HER: Merrill 7-185, Milner 6-169, Camarato 3-28, Jordan 2-50, Butler 2-16, Pickel 1-4, Gosha 1-10, Starkweather 1-3. HBG:Vallette 6-155, Marler 22-117, Crim-Harbison 6-23, Crisenbery 8-21, McGowan 2-8, Carrigan 1-1, Hicks 5-5.

Passing- HER: Pickel 2-3-0 57. HBG: Crim-Harbison 1-4-0 (-3).

Receiving- HER: Haynes 2-57. HBG:Victoria 1-(-3).