Villa Rica recovered a fumble on the game's opening kickoff, and from there on out, it was all Wildcats.
The Harris County Tigers had no answer for the Wildcat running game in this round two matchup of the 5A playoffs as three rushing touchdowns from TJ Harvison fueled Villa Rica’s 34-21 victory.
Harvison got things started on the scoreboard following the Tiger mishap on the opening kickoff. While it didn’t take long for Harris County quarterback Cooper Corey to respond with an 80-yard touchdown pass to tie things up at 7-7, the Wildcat defense held strong as Villa Rica’s offense proceeded to rattle off 20 unanswered points to take a commanding 27-7 lead in the third quarter.
Harris County cut the deficit with a Miguel Sevilla touchdown run, but Harvison’s third touchdown of the night sealed the deal for the Wildcats. The Tigers would score in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late.
“We have three really good backs, but it starts up front. Those guys got together at halftime on their own and challenged themselves and challenged each other, and I thought they came out in that third quarter and really put this thing away,” Villa Rica head coach Tim Barron said crediting his offensive line after the game.
After spending 19 seasons at Heard County, Barron has his Wildcats in the quarterfinals in his first season with the program. Next week, they’ll host Blessed Trinity after the Titans took down Woodward Academy 28-13 tonight.