Hawks Pitch Homecoming Shutout

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Coming off their bye week, Huntingdon Football returned to Charles Lee Field at Samford Stadium for the third game in a row, hosting the Methodist University Monarchs for their conference-opener and Homecoming. 

The Hawks, joining in on this year's homecoming theme of "Celebrate Huntingdon", celebrated emphatically, holding Methodist to 101 yards of total offense and forcing two turnovers in a 26-0 shutout victory. 

The defense got things rolling early on, as Rashad Walker and Cole Sackman recorded back-to-back tackles for loss on the Monarch's opening drive to force a Methodist punt. After a roughing the kicker penalty kept the Hawks on field, they remained solid, with Joe Brunson's sack on third and seven forcing another punt, which Timothy McReynolds fielded to give the offense their first look of the afternoon. 

Huntingdon's opening offensive drive proved to be short-lived, as a botched handoff gave the ball back to the Monarchs at the 50-yard line. Not to be outdone however, the Hawks answered right away, as Gus Johnson's strip-sack was recovered by Conner Cook, handing the keys back to Huntingdon's offense with 8 minutes to go in the first quarter. 

The ice finally broke at the 4:56 mark, as freshman running back Kenyon Watkins cashed in from 9 yards out to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead entering the second quarter. Huntingdon kept rolling as the second quarter got under way, as Knox Roberts hit Timothy McReynolds down field for a 70 yard touchdown, extending the lead to 13-0 with 13:53 remaining until halftime. 

With the Hawks defense forcing another three-and-out and punt, Huntingdon's offensive attack took back over at the 12:14 mark, and wasted no time pushing the lead even further, as Jake White hit a striding Deven Chapman down the sideline for a 46-yard touchdown that put the Hawks ahead 19-0 at halftime. 

The second half saw each squad's offenses come out of the gates slow, trading punts on the first two possessions to keep the score at 19-0 by the 9:14 mark. Huntingdon's rushing game continued to anchor the offense however, as De'Roderick Hepburn found paydirt from 21 yards out to extend the lead to 26-0 with 4 minutes remaining in the period. 

Through the final four minutes of the third quarter and the entirety of the fourth quarter, Huntingdon's defense locked down the field, allowing just 6 total yards coming down the stretch to cement their homecoming victory. 

Hawk Top Performers

• #5 De'Roderick Hepburn- 17 carries, 98 yards, 1 touchdown
• #27 Kenyon Watkins- 8 carries, 45 yards, 1 touchdown
• #1 Timothy McReynolds- 2 catches, 82 yards, 1 touchdown
• #13 Deven Chapman- 4 catches, 86 yards, 1 touchdown
• #21 Cameron Cooper- 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack
• #13 Gus Johnson- 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

The Hawks look to keep rolling on October 11th at Greensboro College. Gametime is set for 12:00 PM CT.