HARMON LEADS COUGAR FROSH TO WIN
By Marc Atwood
marcatwood@aol.com
 
(10/25/07 Chico, CA) A three-touchdown outing from running back Marshall Harmon allowed the Foothill freshman football team to take a 24-20 win over Pleasant Valley Thursday at Asgard Yard.
 
The Vikings took over possession nearly a minute into the first half when Chase Drews recovered Cougar quarterback Zack Ray's fumble at the Foothill 37-yard line. The drive only lasted three plays as John Rowe's interception gave the Cougars the ball back on their 25-yard line. Harmon's 38-yard gain brought Foothill to the PV 25-yard line. The Vikings took over on downs on their 18-yard line after a fourth and 17 play in which Ray threw an incomplete pass.
 
Tyler Reaman connected with Jason Freitas on a 33-yard completion to give Pleasant Valley a first down at midfield. The drive continued into the second quarter with the Vikings reaching the Cougars' 25-yard line, but Anthony Dufour recovered a fumble and returned it for Foothill's first touchdown of the evening. Ray mishandled the snap on the two-point conversion attempt, so the Cougars' lead stood at 6-0.
 
A three-yard gain by Tyler Taylor on third and 1 with seven minutes left in the first half gave PV a first down at the Foothill 39-yard line. A completion to Geoff Swaim on fourth and 4 allowed the drive to continue at the 26-yard line. The drive ended with 1:41 remaining in the half on Jeremy Andreasen's one-yard touchdown run. Junior Ortiz made the extra point to put the Vikings ahead 7-6.
 
Curtis Gardner's long completion to Dufour on the Cougars' first drive of the second half gave them a first down at the Pleasant Valley 18-yard line. William Ashmund gained four yards to set up a first and goal at the 5-yard line. On the next play, Harmon made his way into the end zone. The two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, so Foothill maintained a 12-7 advantage.
 
Taylor's four-yard gain on the Vikings' next possession earned them a first down at midfield. Taylor added five more yards with a minute left in the third quarter to give PV a first down at the Cougars' 28-yard line. The drive carried over into the fourth quarter with the Vikings getting to the 14-yard line on Taylor's five-yard gain for another fresh set of downs. Andreasen scored a touchdown on a three-yard run with 7:51 remaining in the game. Ortiz made the extra point as Pleasant Valley took a 14-12 lead.
 
Foothill struck back on Ashmun's 23-yard gain to give them a first down at the Vikings' 34-yard line. On second and 8, Ray gained 13 yards to set up a first and goal at the 5-yard line. On the next play, the Cougars added another touchdown on Harmon's run. The two-point conversion attempt was no good, so Foothill had an 18-14 lead.
 
Freitas caught a 62-yard pass with about two minutes left in the game to give PV a first down at the Cougars' 5-yard line. Two plays later, Taylor ran four yards for a touchdown. Ortiz missed the extra point attempt, so the Vikings held on to a 20-18 lead. Foothill wasn't done yet as Harmon took the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. They were unable to make the two-point conversion, so the lead stood at 24-20. Pleasant Valley's hopes of coming back were dashed as Reaman was sacked for an eight-yard loss to end the game.