Another chapter to the rivalry: Warhawks, Bears prepare for battle at Freedom Field

Throw the records out the window; this Friday is The Battle at Freedom Field between the Houston County Bears (3-3) and Veterans Warhawks (1-4).

In the past four meetings between these two teams, the rivalry game was decided by seven points or less. Last year Houston won 7-0. In 2019 Veterans won 7-2. In 2018 Veterans won 7-2 and 2017 Veterans won 35-33. There’s a history of battles between these county rivals and this Friday should add to the list.

Last week, the Bears gave Newton their first loss of the season with a 20-13 win on the road. Newton was ranked No.9 in 7A before the Bears knocked them out of the top-ten.

Simeon Askew added another huge night to his incredible season. Against Newton, Askew totaled 215 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries against Newton. Through six games, Askew has 1,166 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. He also leads team in receptions and is second in receiving yards.

Askew entered Friday night as the state’s leading rusher with a 165 more yards than second place. His the first in the state to hit 1,000 rushing yards and what makes his feats even more remarkable is that he’s done it all with a rotating offensive line.

“I think we’ve played anywhere from seven to eight guys who have rotated in,” said Bears head coach Ryan Crawford about the offensive line. “Coach Manning has done a good job getting guys ready each week, hopefully we’ve got some light at the end of the tunnel with some guys coming back. That tells you how impressive it really is that Simeon has done what he’s done, because the offensive line has kind of been a revolving door and he’s done a good job doing what he does regardless of who’s blocking. The plays haven’t changed, just the people doing them. I think that’s a complement to our coaches.”

The Warhawks lost to Oconee County (No.2 in Class 3A) 35-16 last week, but a bright spot for the Warhawks has been junior receiver Damare Franklin. Before facing Oconee, Franklin led Class 5A in receiving and was No.5 in the state for most receiving yards. Against Oconee, Franklin had seven catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. He now has four consecutive games with over 100 yards receiving.

Franklin and Askew will be two players to watch this week, both will be key in helping their team get the victory. The game will be at Freedom Field on Friday, Oct.1 at 7:30 p.m.

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