Harmony Puts An End To Waskom's 32-Game Winning Streak, 62-26

LONGVIEW -- Harmony snapped Waskom's 32-game winning streak dating back to Week 2 of the 2014 season Saturday with a 62-26 victory Saturday at Longview's Lobo Stadium.

The Eagles made their first big statement of the campaign. The Wildcats, meanwhile, took a small step back toward joining the East Texas Class 3A Division II pack on the heels of winning the past two state championships at the level.

Now that the streak is over, any team in East Texas with a 2-0 record is tied for the lead in most consecutive wins. The list includes Harmony.

"It really does feel great," coach Tim Russell said. "We've practiced hard. The kids have worked really, really hard. Waskom is a great team with a great tradition. Just to be able to play against them and play like we played tonight was so, so gratifying. I know that they'll be back because they're a great team.

"They'll go back to the drawing board and they'll get better because they're going to make another run at the state championship. I like to think we're getting better. This was a great win for us."

Eagles receiver Justin Wingfield turns the corner to finish a 62-yard touchdown run. The score gave Harmony a 35-19 lead late in the third quarter.

Harmony had a big experience edge, and it showed. Sixteen starters that took hits as a 3-7 team in 2014 and reached the 3A Division I playoffs a year ago with a 6-4 regular season record mostly dictated the proud Wildcats program around the field.

The Eagles, who are now aligned in 3A Division II, took advantage of three fumbles, a punt and two turnovers on downs for 28 first downs, 553 yards of total offense and touchdowns on nine of 11 possessions. One possession was stopped at the halftime whistle.

Junior quarterback Spencer Seahorn, a three-year starter, passed for three touchdowns and ran two more scores in himself.

Fullback Nick Hoelscher, a junior, caught Seahorn's touchdown throws and ran for a score.

Running back Mike Edmonson, a senior and three-year starter, set them up with 181 yards on 31 carries and scored once himself.

Sophomore running back Bennett Hill scored twice in the final minutes.

Waskom (1-1) -- which lost arguably the state's best 3A Division II player a season ago to a football scholarship at SMU in Chan Amie on top of 14 other starters from its second straight title team -- fought through the first half before wilting.

The Wildcats never tied the game after Harmony took a 7-0 lead at the 7:47 mark of the first half due to a missed extra point and then a failed two-point conversion run, but it traded touchdowns with the Eagles until going down 21-12 with about a minute to play in the half.

Harmony fullback Nick Hoelscher pulls down a pass toward seven catches for 122 yards.

Harmony caught all the breaks. Rather, it created the breaks.

Edmonson gave his side a 28-12 hold on a 5-yard run to cap a nine-play, 66-yard drive early in the third quarter. He scored four plays after punter Caleb Hart connected with Konrad Eichelman, a gunner, for 30 yards on a fake punt while facing fourth-and-5 from Waskom's 48-yard line.

Eichelman, as a crashing safety, stopped the Wildcats' fourth-and-7 conversion attempt the next drive by tripping up quarterback Ty Carter on a keeper two yards short of the marker.

Receiver Justin Wingfield caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from Seahorn three plays later.

Tay Green returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to set up a 5-yard scoring run by Jason Jinks for a 35-19 deficit after three quarters, but Hoelscher caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Seahorn and then ran for a 37-yard score in the first minutes of the fourth period.

Hill then added his two touchdowns around Waskom's last score.

"It feels great," Edmonson said. "To beat a team like that gives us confidence. We're taking it one week at a time, but we feel like we're going to be pretty good."

The Wildcats have another tough test Friday at Tyler Grace Community, which lost by a point to Canton from Class 4A Division II earlier in the week. Harmony will simultaneously begin its home slate by hosting winless Scurry-Rosser.

"It was an awesome win," Seahorn said. "My excitement level, it's crazy. I am so excited about where we're heading."

Harmony quarterback Spencer Seahorn was responsible for five touchdowns in Saturday's win at Longview's Lobo Stadium.

Harmony 62, Waskom 26

Non-District Game

At Lobo Stadium, Longview

Harmony 7 14 14 27 -- 62
Waskom 0 12 7 7 -- 26

First Quarter
HAR--Spencer Seahorn 4 run (Noah Taylor kick), 7:47
Second Quarter
WAS--J.J. Jones 5 run (kick failed), 11:52
HAR--Seahorn 3 run (Taylor kick), 8:15
WAS--Jones 7 run (run failed), 3:40
HAR--Nick Hoelscher 12 pass from Seahorn (Taylor kick), 1:25
Third Quarter
HAR--Mike Edmonson 5 run (Taylor kick), 6:56
HAR--Justin Wingfield 62 pass from Seahorn (Taylor kick), 2:25
WAS--Jason Jinks 5 run (Victor Tapia kick), 2:05
Fourth Quarter
HAR--Hoelscher 20 pass from Seahorn (Taylor kick), 10:34
HAR--Hoelscher 37 run (Taylor kick), 7:18
HAR--Barrett Hill 19 run (Taylor kick), 6:20
WAS--Jones 38 run (Tapia kick), 3:27
HAR--Hill 14 run (kick failed), 3:27

HAR WAS
First Downs 28 13
Total Yards 553 259
Rushes-Yards 56-322 50-259
Passing Yards 231 0
Comp.-Att.-Int. 10-14-0 0-3-0
Punts-Avg. 1-6 1-36
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 4-3
Penalties-Yards 5-32 3-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Harmony, Mike Edmonson 31-182, Barrett Hill 6-72, Nick Hoelscher 4-49, Spencer Seahorn 11-30, Justin Wingfield 3-8, TEAM 1-(-19). Waskom, J.J. Jones 11-76, Nathan Irving 13-68, T.K. Hamilton 7-55, Jason Jins 6-24, Ty Carter 9-21, Unlisted Player 2-20, Tay Green 1-5, Tramaine Butler 1-(-10).
PASSING--Harmony, Seahorn 9-13-0--201, Caleb Hart 1-1-0--30. Waskom, Carter 0-2-0--0, Tay Green 0-1-0--0.
RECEIVING--Harmony, Hoelscher 5-122, Wingfield 1-62, Konrad Eichelman 1-30, Jacob Kimmen 1-17.