Despite losing 41-36 at Westran, the Harrisburg Bulldogs showed what they are made of Friday night. With just 16 players dressed out, they led the No. 5 team in the state at halftime and nearly pulled off the upset.

The five-point loss marks the fourth in a row for Harrisburg but should still be considered an accomplishment. Westran sits comfortably atop the Lewis & Clark Conference with a 6-1 overall record. In their four wins previous to facing Harrisburg, the Hornets had won by no fewer than 10 points, with lopsided victories over L&C teams Fayette and Scotland County.

“We’re right there. We just can’t seem to get over the hump,” said Harrisburg coach Brennan Claas. “We keep telling our guys not to worry about the record much but to look at our results. We’re right there. We just have to stop hurting ourselves in key moments. We’ve cleaned it up at times, but other times we resort back.”

The Bulldogs once again had strong performances by their key offensive players, who have been consistent all season. Junior quarterback Trace Combs threw for five touchdowns, completing 17 of 27 passing attempts for 319 yards without an interception.

“Trace did a good job of taking what they gave him. He threw a lot of hitches and flat routes. Guys made some plays. He took some shots when they were afforded to us,” Claas said.

Those five touchdowns were spread around to three different receivers. Hunter Cole has been a favorite target of Combs all season. The senior caught seven passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

Two of four catches made by Bryce Ott were for touchdowns. The junior gained 98 receiving yards.

Senior Hayven Samuels had one scoring reception, a diving catch in the end zone to put Harrisburg in front at halftime. He made three grabs for 29 yards and ran the ball four times for 11 yards.

Caleb Sager once again led the rushing game with 21 carries for 108 yards.

“He’s a sophomore who has grown tremendously throughout the year,” Claas said about his rushing leader. “His vision is so much better. His run-through contact; he’s finishing runs now. Runs that should only get three or four yards, he’s breaking a tackle and falling forward for another five or six yards. He had some big first-down runs. It’s great to see a young kid like that step up when he has the opportunity. And I’m glad we have him for another two years.”

Claas also credits the often-unsung players up front with creating opportunities for the offense. 

“The guys up front did a really good job. They have a big defensive line. They were a handful up front. We made some adjustments and executed pretty well,” he said. “Without the guys up front, Sager doesn’t put up those numbers. They’ve been great up front. Austin Starbuck, our center, is a big part of that. As has been Andrew Morris. They’ve been great.”

Harrisburg took an early lead against the No. 5 home team in the first quarter. Combs hit Cole on a 48-yard pass play to go up by six. The two-point conversion failed, which has been an Achilles heel for the Bulldogs all season.

“That was a big emphasis in practice this week. We spent a lot of time working on two-point plays,” Claas said.

Harrisburg fared better on Friday, converting on three of five two-point chances.

“The kids executed very well in those moments, and that’s the reason we were in it late,” Claas explained.

Westran answered with a rushing touchdown later in the opening quarter. A two-point conversion gave the Hornets an 8-6 lead.

Westran scored again in the closing seconds of the first quarter after a turnover gave the Hornets a short field. Deep inside their own territory, the Bulldogs had a bad snap that was then fumbled and recovered by Westran on the 8-yard line. The Hornets punched the ball in from eight yards out to go up 15-6 after a successful point-after attempt.

“We tried to hurry up and get the handoff. We were backed up, and a little panic set in. That was a big momentum swing there,” Class explained.

Harrisburg closed the deficit with another long pass play in the second quarter. Combs found Cole again, this time for a 62-yard pass and run touchdown. The two-point failed, making the score 15-12 in favor of Westran.

Westran answered with another touchdown and converted for two more points to extend the lead to nine points.

But Harrisburg answered with two more scores before halftime. The first came on a pass from Combs to Bryce Ott with 6:46 remaining in the half. The two-point conversion was good, cutting the lead to just one point.

Harrisburg took the lead in a bizarre end to the second quarter to go up at halftime. With the Bulldogs threatening, Westran was flagged for a targeting call as time expired, giving Harrisburg one last play with no time on the clock. 

“The officials told us to go to our locker room. It happened in front of our bench, and emotions were flying pretty high,” Claas explained. “Our kids were all in the locker room, and then the officials told us to go get them so we could have an untimed down.”

On that final play, Combs found a one-handed Hayven Samuels, who made a diving catch in the end zone. The two-point conversion was good, giving the Bulldogs a 28-21 lead at the break.

“It was wild,” Claas said. “There was a lot of emotion going into halftime.”

But the Bulldogs couldn’t maintain their lead in the second half. Westran scored three-consecutive touchdowns to pull ahead 41-28 in the fourth quarter. 

“We tried to calm down and clean up a few things,” Claas said.

But a Bulldogs turnover third in the quarter allowed Westran to hold possession for the majority of the period, as the Hornets methodically moved the ball downfield and milked the clock.

“That kind of took the wind out of our sails,” said Claas. “That was probably the biggest difference in the game. It became very difficult to stop them from gaining enough yards to keep the ball out of our hands.”

Trailing 41-28, Harrisburg found the end zone once more when Combs connected with Ott from 22 yards out. A successful two-point conversion cut Westran’s lead to five points with 1:26 left to play.

Unfortunately for Harrisburg, it would be the final score of the game for the Bulldogs.

“We played pretty well offensively and got some key stops on defense. We just had a couple of untimely turnovers, and a couple of big penalties didn’t go our way,” Claas said.

Harrisburg will return home for the final two games of the regular season. On Friday, the Bulldogs host a struggling 2-5 Fayette team. The Falcons lost their fourth straight game at home on Friday to Salisbury, 30-8.

Friday’s contest will be the final matchup between Harrisburg and Fayette as members of the Lewis & Clark Conference. Both schools elected to leave the L&C after this year to form the Central State 8 with six other teams. Fayette has been a member of the L&C since its inception in 1973. Harrisburg won the conference title a year ago but won’t repeat.

“I know they do some different formations, and they have a couple of running backs who are pretty good,” Class said about facing Fayette. “Vroman is a load. We’re going to have to be ready to tackle him. 

“Both of us are licking our wounds right now. I’m sure both teams will be very fired up to try to get in the win column.”

Kickoff Friday is at 7 p.m. in Harrisburg. Next Friday, the Bulldogs close out the regular season against conference foe Scotland County (2-5) at home.