Harrisburg rallied with three second-half touchdowns but couldn’t overcome a 16-0 halftime deficit in a 36-20 loss to South Callaway at home on Friday night.

The loss was Harrisburg’s fourth straight amid a brutal stretch against ranked teams, combined with injuries at key positions. For the third straight game, senior wide receiver Rylee Robinson was behind center, in place of sophomore starting quarterback Kadyn Weldon, who injured his throwing hand against Salisbury in Week 4. Harrisburg coach Brennan Claas said Robinson will likely stay at quarterback for the rest of the year.

“He’s also our best receiver on the team,” Claas said, noting his underclassmen have to step up as the season reaches its final stanza. “I think we’re disappointed with the record. We let a couple of games get away. This one is probably going to burn a little bit more. Last year, I was saying our freshmen need to play like sophomores. Now our sophomores need to play like juniors. They’re going to have to put a little bit more on their shoulders and start executing at a higher level. And I think they know that.”

But even with his starting play-caller out, Claas said starting Robinson against South Callaway was probably the right call, as his offensive line has a lot of inexperience as well. At the start of the season, the line looked impenetrable. But injuries, most notably to senior Jonathan Darwent, are dogging Harrisburg’s front as well.

Regardless, Robinson was determined to lead his team. The senior put the team on his shoulders and fought to the final buzzer, pulling double duty on offense as the team’s leading rusher as well after an injury in the first half hobbled star running back Caleb Nichols.

“He’s done really well the last couple of weeks stepping into that position after Kadyn’s injury,” Claas said. “We’ve also had to replace a lot of people in front of him. So, we’re probably better off with the senior back there. Bullets flying. Varsity speed. He’s done a good job of maintaining pressure and trying to make plays. Whatever he has to do to make a play, he’s going to do it. He’s going to fight tooth and nail. I really like the way he has matured on top of the great athlete he is.”

Harrisburg tried to open fast, but was stopped short of the goal line twice in the first quarter. The Bulldogs opened with an onside kick recovery and twice reached the red zone in the first period, including a drive to the South Callaway 6-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. South Callaway scored with a 1-yard keeper early in the second quarter, then added a 35-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the half for a 16-0 lead.

Claas said he was disappointed in that final touchdown before halftime. “It should have been a one-score game, but we gave up a touchdown pass with five seconds left. We let a guy run right past us. That’s going to be the one that stings the most.”

Harrisburg seized momentum right out of halftime. Robinson hit Nash Sublett with a deep play-action pass to the South Callaway 7-yard line, then punched in a keeper from four yards out. Senior running back Caleb Nichols took the direct snap and threw to Robinson for the two-point conversion to make it 16-8 just 40 seconds into the second half.

Harrisburg’s early third-quarter strike came by design. “One of my coaches suggested it and I thought, ‘why not we need a shot in the arm’,” Claas said. “It worked out well for us last year, taking some of those shots in awkward moments. It came down to a senior quarterback executing and a sophomore making a play.

“Coming out of halftime like that, on a three-game skid, down 16 after letting a deflating moment like that pass before halftime, but coming out and being willing to go out and make that next play, tells a lot. We just have to do that time and time again.”

The scoring drive kicked off a wild third quarter that saw five touchdowns as the teams traded blows. South Callaway answered with a short rushing score, but Harrisburg came right back when Hunter Winscott broke a 10-yard touchdown run to pull within one score, 22-14. After a South Callaway 30-yard scoring pass and two-point conversion, Robinson connected with Silas Buckler on a 4-yard scoring pass to keep the game within reach, 30-20, late in the third.

“The game opened up quite well,” Claas said about the third-quarter shootout, but said that self-inflicted wounds kept his team from the win column for the fourth consecutive game. “We were our own worst enemy in the biggest moments. A lot of that is inexperience, and we have to be more disciplined.

South Callaway managed to stay in front thanks to those two first-half touchdowns. The visiting Bulldogs added a 7-yard scoring run with 8:07 left to clinch the Central State 8 victory.

The Bulldogs continue to seek their first conference win of the season with another road game on Friday. Harrisburg travels to Russellville to face a much-improved team that went from a 3-7 finish a year ago, to a 5-1 record and a 2 ranking so far this season. Claas said the Indians run a similar offense to South Callaway, but noted Russellville’s speed. “They are fast. We’ve got to be lined up right and adhere to our fundamentals,” he said.

Robinson finished the game with 13 completions on 18 passing attempts for 142 yards and a touchdown with one interception. He also led the team on the ground with 13 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown. He broke away for a big run at the end of the third quarter to the South Callaway 7-yard line, breaking several tackles along the way, to set up the Bulldogs’ final score.

Buckler caught six passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, including a 35-yarder from Robinson under pressure on third and long to set up Harrisburg at first-and-goal just moments before Winscott ran 10 yards for the touchdown. Nash Sublett made three grabs for 62 yards, including the long pass reception that opened the third quarter.

Defensively, Victor Shouse led the team with 16 tackles (5 solo). Adrian Jacobs added 11 takedowns (2 solo). Harrisburg made four tackles behind the line of scrimmage, but failed to make a sack all game.

Harrisburg returns for its final home game on October 17 to host Fayette (3-3), then plays the final regular-season game at Linn on October 24. Both opponents have improved since last year, with the Fayette game holding district implications. Linn, in particular, is far better than the 1-5 record indicates in only the team’s second varsity season.

Harrisburg won its first two games of the season on the road, but has struggled ever since. “From where we were a few weeks ago, there’s been some improvement,” Claas said, in a moment of optimism after Friday’s game. “When you’re starting six sophomores, there’s no excuse. We have to execute better. There are going to be a lot of growing pains with that. I just want to see us continue to get better.”