Senior play caller stumbled against Sheridan but redeemed against Clinton Central
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Football this season at Taylor High School has really been about one player. The Titans live and die by the arm of senior quarterback Javionne Harris. While this may be true of other football teams, it is particularly pronounced in southeastern Howard County.
Not only is Harris the Titans’ leading passer, he is also the leading rusher, and the leader of the defensive secondary. He even returns kicks and serves as the team’s punter.
So, when the Sheridan Blackhawks soared into Center on Sept. 27, it was up to Harris to clip their wings. He managed 100 passing yards and a touchdown, though his three interceptions built a hill too high for the Titans to climb. While Sheridan failed to score following any of the turnovers, the miscues robbed the Titans of opportunities.
Harris tried to make up for the deficiency with his running game, amassing 186 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. But at the end of the night, football is a team sport, and Taylor didn’t have enough to stop Sheridan. They fell, 22-13.
The Titans became desperate as the game wore on and the score slowly crept further away from them. After shutting out Sheridan in the first, the visitors scored in each successive quarter, and as time ran down, Taylor found itself trailing by 15 and holding few options. A late score made the final tally respectable, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.
That frustration boiled over at points late in the game. Sheridan began inciting the home team with late hits that drew flags, but Taylor failed to show restraint, retaliating and earning offsetting penalties. The Titans’ streak of futility against their small-school rivals continues.
Taylor was able to take out its frustrations from the Sheridan game on a middling Clinton Prairie football squad on Oct. 3. Hosting the Gophers in conference play, Harris unleashed a punishing barrage from every aspect of the game.
As the man under center, Harris threw for 187 yards and a pair of touchdowns; both to senior Drey McClatchey. And on the ground Harris piled up another 225 yards and three touchdowns.
In what has become common for the Titans, the senior play caller was responsible for more than half of Taylor’s total yardage. He also hauled in an interception for a touchdown on defense and executed the team’s lone punt; a kick of 32 yards.
At the close of the Oct. 3 contest, The Taylor Harrises prevailed 40-8. Their record stands at 5-2 (3-2 in conference) as they travel across the Howard/Tipton County line to face Tri-Central (1-2) on Oct. 10. The Trojans have had to cancel or forfeit most of their schedule this season due to a lack of players.
See additional photos from the Sept. 27 contest against Sheridan, along with a gallery featuring the Taylor marching band, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern’s Facebook page or group.