Week 11 was a historic one for Harmony Grove. Having lost all three previous playoff appearances, the Cardinals marched into No. 1 Mountain View and stepped away with their first win and big upset, 31-20.
"I was very proud of the way we started the game," said Head Coach Paul Calley. "We have had a long day. We started up the hill early. But we were really hot on both sides of the ball."
Harmony Grove's win earns them a chance for even more fireworks as they travel to Atkins for Round 2.
On paper, both squad are greatly similar.
Junior quarterback Hunter Hilson has hit receivers for a number of school records, passing for more than 2,000 yards and 23 TDs thus far for Harmony Grove.
On the opposing side, senior gunslinger Seth Haney has passed for 1,826 yards and 29 scores while completing 124 of 202 passes. He, though, does have seven interceptions to Hilson's three in 2016.
A positive for Harmony Grove, however, is that Haney is a pocket passer, for the most part, having rushed only a few times this season and has yet to slip into the end zone on the ground.
Senior running back Jessie Jones leads the Red Devils in the running game with nine TDs on 109 carries and 854 yards. The senior is averaging 7.8 yards per carry and 85.4 per game.
Senior receiver Cory Childress looks to the the go-to guy through the air as he leads the team in catches, yards and TDs with 41, 672 and 17.
Jones, too, is coming off of a two-TD night, but caught only four passes for 33 yards.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Atkins. Winner will play the winner of No. 2 Harding Academy and No. 3 Newport.