Jonathan Bailey
The Camden and Huntingdon football rivalry stretches back well over 50 years. The battles are usually pretty intense, and over the decades, it has become a stretch for Camden to pull out a win. With only one win in the past 12 years, it came as no surprise that the Lions could not outpace the Mustangs last week.
The Lions struggled early with mistakes. Bad snaps, busted plays, and a stalled offensive performance led to an early loss of momentum. On the first drive, Camden quarterback Will Dobson threw an interception that Huntingdon immediately capitalized upon. From there, Huntingdon’s powerful offense took control. A lead of 28 points in the first quarter grew to 42 points by halftime. By the game’s end, the Mustangs had extended their lead to a devastating 57-0.
In contrast, it is important to note that the Lions never stopped fighting, despite being outpaced at every turn by the Mustangs. They fought hard. Every play, the lineman battled in the trenches, as the linebackers clashed with blockers. They played aggressively, as they have all season.
Individually, Nathan Redman led the Lion’s defense with eight total tackles, followed by Karson Goodwin with seven and Bradley Chandler with four. Camden’s defense forced and recovered two fumbles on the night. Specifically, Chris Hatley used all of his energy to follow a Huntingdon running back all the way to the goal line, where they collided and Hatley came up with the ball to prevent a score.
The Camden offense struggled abnormally out of the gate. Three fumbles, one interception, and negative total yards tell the story of this contest for the offense. It just was not their night.
There is zero doubt that these young men have what it takes to win more games this season. Many of the athletes on the field are either sophomores or juniors, and the seniors are setting the example of a no-quit attitude. The upcoming home game against McEwen this Friday hopefully will be a redemption story in the making.
Regardless of the outcome on the scoreboard, this team is exciting to watch. Come out to support your local athletes this week, and follow Camden Central High School Football on Facebook to keep up with what’s happening.
