Red Rebels take state power Oak Grove to the brink in Tony Myers’ head coaching debut
Harrison Central had a fourth-quarter lead over state power Oak Grove in head coach Tony Myers’ debut as the Red Rebel head coach.
Stiff defense and a gutsy performance from quarterback Christian Turner put the Warriors on the ropes in Game 1 of the Port City Bowl in Gulfport. Turner tossed a 30-yard score to Des Smith in the third to give HCHS its first lead of the game after falling behind early.
Oak Grove’s speed and athleticism took over in the final eight minutes, though. Southern Miss commit JQ Gray caught a contested ball at the goal line and walked into the end zone on the next play to give OGHS an 18-15 lead.
Warrior defensive back Tajii Burkett then picked off a deep pass from Turner to dash HCHS’s hopes of an upset.
It was a disappointing end to a grueling season-opening matchup for the Rebels, but the outcome casts new light on what HCHS is capable of.
“I believe we are in the direction I want to go,” Myers said after the game. “These kids have worked hard and we are doing our best to get this team on a championship level. That’s my only goal, is to be able to compete with anybody in the state. This game shows that we can compete and we’re close to being able to win against really high quality opponents.”
Myers, a former OGHS assistant, has a defensive background and his aggressive defense was put to the test against an offense that averaged nearly 40 points a game in 2021.
The Warriors were held to less than half their previous season average and repeatedly faltered in short-field situations.
“I think we did a heck of a job defensively,” Myers said. “I think defense is definitely our strong suit right now... I’m just proud of our defense. I think we can be one of the best defenses in the state.”
The heart of that defense is the 6’4, 275 lb defensive tackle Amarion Ware. A multi-talented athlete, it was his play on two different phases of the game that shifted the momentum of the contest after Oak Grove had taken an early 10-0 lead.
On top of his duties along the line of scrimmage, Ware is also the team’s primary kicker and punter. In the second quarter, Ware downed the Warriors at the 1-yard line and, on the very next play, was in on the safety that put the Red Rebels on the board.
“The boy is just a monster, I’m very proud of him,” Myers said. “He is definitely a Division I level kid. His talent level is just beyond most of the other kids that we have. He’s our best player by far. We can put him at quarterback, running back, he can do anything.”
Ware left the field confident in his team and proud that the offseason work showed up on the field.
“We had the hard work and dedication from those extra days on Saturdays,” Ware said. “It’s that extra day that sets us aside from regular teams... it was a tough loss, but it’s over with now. We got South Pike next week, we’re going to handle business and get ready for district.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 10:29 PM.
