It was Harlan football at its best Friday as the Green Dragons rolled up 322 yards on the ground and held Paintsville scoreless for all but one second on the way to a 28-7 win over the visiting Tigers in the first round of the Class A playoffs.

The Dragons’ combination of size and strength on both the offensive and defensive lines proved to be too much for the Tigers, as Harlan jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead and cruised to the win.

“I tip my hat to our lineman. I think they did a great job up front. I thought we whipped em’ and controlled them on the line of scrimmage,” said Harlan coach J.B. Donahue.

While the Harlan offense overpowered the Tigers’ defense for much of the game, the Dragons’ defense was just as impressive, holding Paintsville scoreless until a 50-yard halfback pass put the Tigers on the board with seven-tenths of a second remaining in the game.

“I think our kids were comfortable. I felt like defensively this was the most prepared we have been all year. We knew what was coming,” said Donahue. “I thought our kids knew where to line up. It was just a matter if our kids would play with some passion and aggression out on the field, and I think they did.”

Donahue said he was particularly pleased with the way the you Dragons’ secondary performed, collecting four interceptions on the night.

“We had some freshman playing out there on the corner tonight, and they played real well. We gave up the big play at the end, but they played well all night,” he said.

Paintsville’s Nehemiah Doderer gave the Tigers good field possession on the opening possession of the game as he returned the kickoff 28 yards to the Harlan 47. However, a fumbled snap four plays later on fourth and one quickly turned the ball over to the Dragons.

Harlan’s advantage along the offensive front was quickly evident as the Dragons put together a nine play, 62-yard drive, capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by senior Ben Cornett, to take the early lead. Senior Andrew Wolfe converted the extra point to put the Dragons up front 7-0.

After getting the ball on their own 24 to start the second quarter, the Dragons marched the ball to the Paintsville 27 before Cornett broke loose once again for his second touchdown of the night. Wolfe added the extra point to give Harlan a 14-0 lead.

As was the case for much of the night, the Green Dragons’ defense held set their offense up with good field possession, as Harlan took over on the Tigers’ 48 yard line with 2:20 remaining in the second quarter. Senior Aaron Carr converted a 12-yard pass to his tight end, Kody Johnson, down to the Paintsville 38, before Cornett broke free once again, this time on a trap play off the left side. Wolfe added the extra point to stretch the Harlan lead to 21-0 with 1:11 remaining in the second quarter.

On the ensuing possession, senior cornerback Eric Robinson intercepted a Matt Daniels pass on the Harlan 22 to send the game to half-time.

Harlan quickly took over where they left in the first half, marching down the field on a nine play, 60-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown plunge by fullback Kenny Pennington to seemingly put the game out of reach.

The Green Dragons’ defense continued its solid performance, holding the Tigers to only 70 yards of total offense in the second half before a 50-yard touchdown strike from Paintsville’s Dyllon Brown to receiver Dustin Caldwell gave the Tigers their first touchdown with less that one second remaining in the game.

Paintsville coach Jason Kinner praised the Harlan defensive effort.

“(Kenny Pennington) is a heck of a football player. We had to change at half-time. He was lining up on our twins every time, so we switched him opposite, and it started paying off there at the end, but it was just too late,” he said. “(James Hill is a man. He is a good looking kid. We don’t have any kids that look like that. He gave us a lot of trouble on the counter.”

The Green Dragons must now face a familiar foe as they travel to Pikeville on Friday.

“I will take my chances. I have been there seven times and haven’t won one yet, but the law of averages has to catch up before long,” he said. “I think these kids believe and I think if we go over there and do what we do on offense that we can have some success up front. In the playoffs nobody knows.”

“Harlan will be tough for Pikeville because they are so big and strong,” added Kinner, who’s Tigers have faced both teams this season. “They’re going to give Pikeville all they want because of their strength up front and the way they the control the ball between the tackles.”