York High falls to Harrisburg in District 3 Class 6A first round
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As Harrisburg players cleared the field and Cougar fans descended the bleachers to join them in celebration, York High coach Bud Kyle gathered his players near the center of Severance Field for a final huddle.
For the Bearcats, their season ended the same way it began − a loss to the Cougars, this time a 42-6 final dealt in the first round of the District 3 Class 6A bracket. The Bearcats had been shut down all afternoon by the Cougars' defense, and their hopes for payback for their Week 1 loss were dashed. But the Bearcats had worked and scraped to earn a spot in the playoffs as the No. 12 seed, and Kyle wanted to give his seniors a final moment to speak to their teammates candidly.
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"For those guys to even get into the playoffs with us getting hired and starting late, and them buying into what we were telling them to do, we couldn't have asked for a better group of seniors," Kyle said. "A lot of changes happened during the year, however we're proud of them for sticking it out and fighting through it."
Harrisburg leaned on the duo of Trays Walker and Ja'auan Johnson to spark the offense. Walker and Johnson each scored two touchdowns in the first half, building up to a 28-6 halftime lead over York High. While York High found some success on the ground behind John Vellon, who led the team with 72 yards on 17 carries, it struggled to break through.
Harrisburg picked off four passes and capitalized on penalties to build a lead it never lost.
York High did find some success, however. After a pass over the middle by quarterback Jaishan Matte was tipped by a member of Harrisburg's secondary, Robert Moore snatched the ball as it fell and carried it through open ground for a 64-yard touchdown late in the second quarter.
"They're explosive," Kyle said of Harrisburg's offense. "They're well-coached and they've been in this position before, that's why they've won five district championships. We were just trying to slow them down and keep everybody in front of us. I thought we did a pretty good job early on, it's just that we gave up two touchdowns when it was fourth and long and third and long, which changed the game."
For some, York High's loss might be the end. Kyle, however, sees it as just the beginning. He took the helm late in the summer, and the Bearcats bought in. A playoff spot to end the year is solid groundwork to build off in his eyes. With the Bearcats returning a majority of their starters on both sides of the ball next season, the first-year coach can't help but see the silver lining.
"Some of our young guys got to play early this year and played in a meaningful game today," Kyle said. "The future looks very bright for us."
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York High falls to Harrisburg in District 3 Class 6A first round