Hawks back-to-back winners for the first time since 2011

Harmon scored the game’s final 22 points and beat Kansas City Southeast, 29-12, on Friday, Sep. 18. The win gave the Hawks their first back-to-back victories since 2011, when Steven Jackson’s team opened by beating Washington and Sumner.

Head coach Ke’Von Smith is in his first year, inheriting a team that went 1-8 a season ago, with the single win a forfeit. His young Hawks learned on the fly Friday. “Guys are buying into the program, really believing in what we’re doing,” Smith said.

A second-half turnaround

Southeast led 12-7 at the break. The Knights burned Harmon with two fake punts that kept their early drives alive.

Harmon answered out of the locker room. Zayden Sparks broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run, breaking tackles and outrunning the pursuit. After quarterback Adrian Lopez ran in the two-point conversion for a 15-12 lead, the Hawks never looked back.

Lopez felt the halftime shift in momentum. “After that locker room, we came out with energy and we came out to play,” Lopez said. The junior QB worked the sideline whenever the defense took the field, pumping up the crowd and his teammates.

The ground game takes over

Harmon leaned on its backs and piled up 216 rushing yards on 31 carries, an average of seven yards a rush, far surpassing the goal of four yards per carry that Smith set in the pre-season.

Justin Simms carried 15 times for 100 yards and two scores, including a 26-yard burst. Sparks added 85 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries, a 22-yard run capping the night.

Lopez credited the line for the room to run. “That middle was wide open,” he said. He praised the blocking up front, and said the offense could “just get the job done.”

Defense sets the tone

The Hawks defense controlled the second half. The Knights reached Harmon territory several times but came away empty. Harmon stopped Southeast on downs four times and pushed the visitors backward with sacks and tackles for loss. Leo Tovar, Kortez Hollinshed, and Julian Delgado created havoc in the Southeast backfield, leading to sacks and negative yardage runs.

Smith pointed to defense as the program’s backbone. “We really pride ourselves upon our defense, so that’s been a big thing for us,” he said.

History in reach

The Hawks host KIPP Legacy on Friday, Sep. 25. A win would give Harmon three straight for the first time since 2001. That was the program’s last winning season, a 5-4 mark under longtime coach Troy Hodges.

Smith embraces the stakes. “I’m a history geek, and I preach it to the boys,” he said. “We want to get after everybody, and we want to make this league as competitive as possible.”

Lopez shares the belief. Asked about his confidence, he did not hesitate. “It’s through the roof,” he said.