The #11 East Central Trojans have made a habit in 2026 of handing opponents their first loss, doing it to three of their first five opponents.
They can now add a fourth team to that list.
After trailing by two scores at the end of the first half, the Trojans showed why they’re a threat to contend for another Indiana Class 4A state title, coming from behind to win the latest edition of “The War on 74,” 24-21, over the #13 Harrison Wildcats in the Blitz 5 Game of the Week Friday night in Harrison.
It was not an ideal start for the Trojans, as Harrison drew first blood in the first quarter when quarterback Brady Lawhon took it in from 1 yard out to give the Wildcats an early 7-0 lead.
That’s how it stayed until the second quarter, when Harrison added to the lead. Lawhon hooked up with one of his favorite targets, wideout Kyle Davidson, on a 9-yard touchdown toss to extend the lead to 14-0 with 11:53 to go in the first half.
The Trojans finally got something going offensively, relying on their ground game to drive 65 yards and capping the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by senior running back Ryan Minges, cutting the East Central deficit in half.
East Central’s defense then forced Harrison to punt on its ensuing possession, but the Trojans turned around and gave it right back to the Wildcats when the Harrison secondary picked off quarterback Ben Bond at the East Central 38-yard line. The Wildcats took advantage of the miscue, with Lawhon taking it in himself on a 6-yard touchdown scramble to give Harrison a 21-7 lead heading into halftime.
The Trojans took the second-half kickoff and got themselves right back in the ballgame. Minges finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, and it was quickly a one-score game again, 21-14, with 8:03 left in the third quarter.
Not only were things starting to click for East Central in the ground game, they were also starting to click defensively. The Trojan defense kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard in the third quarter, setting up yet another down-to-the-wire ending in the annual rivalry.
The Trojans trimmed the Harrison lead even further early in the fourth quarter after a drive stalled inside Wildcat territory and East Central kicker Blake Sterwerf nailed a 35-yard field goal to make it 21-17 with 10:58 left in the game.
That East Central defense came up even bigger later in the fourth quarter. Senior linebacker Jared Cox intercepted Lawhon, the Harrison quarterback’s first interception of the season, and returned it for an apparent touchdown. A penalty wiped out the score, but it only delayed the Trojans.
East Central took advantage of the turnover anyway, with running back Colton Bellman eventually taking it in from 8 yards out to give the Trojans their first lead of the game, 24-21, with 3:55 remaining.
But as the famous adage goes, it isn’t over until it’s over. Harrison took the ensuing kickoff to the East Central 49-yard line with an opportunity to answer.
The Trojan defense had one more big play left.
Defensive back Noah Long intercepted Lawhon with just over three minutes remaining, the Wildcat quarterback’s second interception of the night after entering the game without one all season. East Central was then able to salt the game away.
The Trojans scored the final 17 points of the game after trailing 21-7 at halftime.
With the victory, their ninth in the last 11 games in the rivalry and seventh in the last eight, the Trojans even the all-time series with Harrison at 24-24-1 while also dealing the Wildcats their first loss of the season.
SCORING BY QUARTERS
East Central: 0-7-10-7-24
Harrison: 7-14-0-0-21
SCORING PLAYS
H: Brady Lawhon 1-yard run (Wiesemann kick)
H: Kyle Davidson 9-yard pass from Lawhon (Wiesemann kick)
E: Ryan Minges 2-yard run (Blake Sterwerf kick)
H: Lawhon 6-yard run (Wiesemann kick)
E: Minges 1-yard run (Sterwerf kick)
E: Sterwerf 35-yard field goal
E: Colton Bellman 8-yard run (Sterwerf kick)
RECORDS: East Central (5-1); Harrison (5-1)
UP NEXT: East Central at Connersville; Harrison vs. Mt. Healthy
Get the complete scores from all of this week’s action on the Underground Sports Shop Scoreboard at TriStateFootball.com/scores.
Stay updated on high school football by following @TSFootball on X.
