MIDDLESBORO — The young and talented Harlan County Black Bears picked up a huge road win to start the 2024 campaign, defeating Middlesboro, 25-7.
The game was scoreless for almost the entire first half until James Howard put the Black Bears on the scoreboard with a four-yard touchdown run to give his team a 7-0 lead with 3:10 remaining until halftime.
Harlan County pushed its lead to 13-0 when Brayden Harris broke free for an 81-yard touchdown run, giving the Black Bears a 13-0 advantage with 9:41 left in the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets got in the scoreboard with 3:12 remaining in the third quarter thanks to a 42-yard touchdown pass from Deakon Partin to Xaion Shehan, cutting Middlesboro’s deficit to 13-7.
Harlan County out the game away in the final 12 minutes, finding paydirt twice as Howard’s five-yard touchdown run gave the Black Bears a 19-7 lead while his third rushing touchdown with no time remaining made the final score, 25-7.
