By Cole Swafford | CSwaff Media
Photography by JR.visuals513 | Contributing Photographer
HARRISON, Ohio — Harrison entered the fourth quarter Friday night trailing Withrow and facing its first loss of the season.
15 unanswered points later, the Wildcats were still unbeaten.
Harrison rallied from a 13-7 halftime deficit and scored twice in the fourth quarter to defeat Withrow 22-13 in a nonconference matchup between two Division II, Region 8 programs.
The game was tied 7-7 after the opening quarter, with Harrison’s first touchdown coming on a big play through the air.
Senior quarterback Brady Lawhon connected with junior tight end Christian Roether for a 72-yard touchdown, providing Harrison with its only points of the first half.
Withrow answered and then took control of the scoreboard before halftime.
The Tigers added six points in the second quarter while keeping Harrison scoreless during the period, sending Withrow into the locker room with a 13-7 advantage.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, allowing Withrow to carry that six-point lead into the final period.
That’s when Harrison’s offense finally broke through.
With 8:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, Lawhon found senior Kyle Davidson for a 32-yard touchdown pass. Senior kicker Michael Wiesemann Jr. converted the extra point, giving Harrison its first lead since the opening half at 14-13.
The one-point margin left the game very much undecided.
Harrison’s defense ultimately produced the play that changed it.
With Withrow attempting to regain the lead, senior Jack Denier intercepted a pass after the ball came off the hands of the intended Tigers receiver. Denier took it the other direction and returned the interception 102 yards for a touchdown.
Instead of Withrow potentially putting together a go-ahead drive, Harrison suddenly had an eight-point advantage.
The Wildcats weren’t finished.
Lawhon connected with Roether on the two-point conversion following Denier’s return, extending Harrison’s lead to 22-13 and completing a 15-point fourth quarter.
Withrow was unable to answer over the remaining time.
The Tigers were held scoreless throughout the second half after taking a 13-7 advantage into halftime.
For Harrison, the comeback represented a different type of victory from the ones that opened the season.
The Wildcats began the year with consecutive shutouts, defeating Milford 35-0 and Archbishop McNicholas 28-0.
Harrison then faced its first close test in Week 3 at Beavercreek. The Wildcats survived a much higher-scoring matchup there, earning a 33-28 road victory to improve to 3-0.
Friday provided another challenge.
Withrow entered the matchup with an offense that had already shown its ability to score in bunches. The Tigers opened the season with a 50-13 victory over Walnut Hills and followed it with a 45-12 win over Chaminade Julienne.
Springboro held Withrow to 13 points in a 23-13 victory in Week 3, sending the Tigers into Harrison looking to rebound.
For the better part of three quarters, Withrow appeared positioned to do exactly that.
The Tigers matched Harrison’s touchdown in the first quarter, scored again in the second and kept the Wildcats off the board for two consecutive quarters.
Withrow’s defense also prevented Harrison from taking advantage of several opportunities during the first half. Harrison had a touchdown called back before eventually going into halftime trailing by six.
The second half shifted the game.
Harrison kept Withrow scoreless over the final 24 minutes, and the Wildcats eventually found the offensive breakthrough they needed with the Lawhon-to-Davidson touchdown in the fourth.
Denier’s 102-yard interception return then provided the decisive swing.
Lawhon was directly involved in all three of Harrison’s offensive scoring plays, throwing touchdown passes of 72 and 32 yards and completing the two-point conversion following Denier’s defensive touchdown.
Roether accounted for the 72-yard touchdown reception and caught the fourth-quarter two-point conversion, while Davidson’s 32-yard touchdown gave Harrison the lead for good.
The result moves Harrison to 4-0 and keeps the Wildcats among the remaining unbeaten teams in the Cincinnati area.
Withrow falls to 2-2 after opening the season with consecutive victories. Both of the Tigers’ losses have come by 10 points or fewer, with Springboro winning 23-13 and Harrison earning Friday’s 22-13 decision.
Harrison will take its unbeaten record on the road next Friday when the Wildcats face Ross.
Withrow also returns to the road, traveling to Archbishop McNicholas as the Tigers look to end their two-game skid.
Friday’s game ultimately came down to the final quarter. Withrow held Harrison to seven points through the first three periods and carried the lead into the fourth, but the Wildcats responded with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion while their defense completed a second-half shutout to secure the 22-13 comeback victory.
