After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Valley View, Harding Academy was happy to have turned things around on Friday. They strolled past the Batesville Pioneers with points to spare, taking the game 42-28. With that victory, the Wildcats brought their scoring average up to 28.3 points per game.
A big part of Harding Academy's win came down to the chemistry between Owen Miller and his top target Isaac Baker. Miller threw for 416 yards and two touchdowns while completing 78.9% of his passes while Baker gained 177 total yards and three touchdowns. What's more, Baker also racked up 97 rushing yards, the mosthe's had since back in October of 2023. Endy Mcgalliard also helped out as he racked up 178 receiving yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Harding Academy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 218 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Batesville only rushed for 30.
Harding Academy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Tanner Simmons and Cam Pryor. Pryor also snagged an interception, which is notable because Harding Academy is undefeated when he posts at least one interception, but 0-3 otherwise.
Batesville's loss came despite strong showings from Cole Bentz and Grant Mcdonald. Bentz threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns, while Mcdonald picked up 71 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Harding Academy pushed their record up to 3-3 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Batesville, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Harding Academy will take on Paragould at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Harding Academy is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 28.3 points per game this season. As for Batesville, they will square off against Wynne at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
