The nearly scoreless first quarter came to an end at the 1:03 mark when sophomore quarterback Russ Harbaugh (Evansville, IN/Evansville Bosse) connected with senior Josh Bronaugh (New Ross, IN/North Montgomery) (photo) for a 14-yard touchdown pass to cap an eight-play, 53-yard drive to give the Little Giants a 7-0 lead.
The second quarter belonged to freshman sensation Aaron Lafitte (Goodyear, AZ/Ironwood). The rookie running back had eight carries for 114 yards and four touchdowns to lead an offensive explosion for Wabash in the second quarter, putting the game out of reach for the Hawks. After a T.T. Jackson (Evansville, IN/Evansville Harrison) interception gave Wabash the football at the Huntingdon 31 yardline brought an end to the first quarter, it was Lafitte who scored on the first play of the second period. He raced 31 yards for his first TD of the game to give Wabash a 14-0 lead.
It was Lafitte and Harbaugh combining on the next drive to lead the Little Giants to paydirt once again. Harbaugh completed all four pass attempts on the next drive, with a Lafitte 50-yard run sandwiched in the middle. On the final play of the drive, Lafitte pounded his way across the goalline for his second touchdown of the game.
Senior kicker Olmy Olmstead (Alexandria, OH/Granville) added the next points for the Little Giants. The straight-on kicker banged home a 34-yard field goal, the longest of his career, to make it a 24-0 lead in favor of the Wabash.
Lafitte added touchdown runs of five and 15 yards to give the Little Giants a 44-0 halftime lead.
Senior tailback Chris Morris (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville) added his fourth touchdown of the season at the start of the third quarter on a seven-yard run to increase the lead to 51-0. On the very next drive, senior linebacker Nick Fanelli (Crown Point, IN/Lake Central) stepped in front of a Mark Colson pass, returning the interception 24 yards for his first career touchdown. Sophomore kicker Mark Server (Plainfield, IN/Plainfield) added a 30-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to complete the scoring for the Little Giants.
The Hawks, in the midst of their first season of college football, scored their first touchdown in school history in the fourth quarter when Jacob Godwin raced 60-yards with 10:49 left in the contest. Austin Allen added the final touchdown on a nine-yard pass receptions from quarterback Clay Elliot with six seconds left in the game to make the final score 61-13.
Lafitte finished the day with nine carries for 112 yards and the four touchdowns. Morris had 10 carries for 42 yards and a score. Harbaugh finished the day 14-of-19 for 185 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. His second TD strike went to Bronaugh on a 55-yard play midway through the second period. Bronaugh led the Little Giants with three receptions for 76 yards and two scores. He was one of four receivers to make three catches. Sophomore Brandon Roop (Newburgh, IN/Castle), senior Nick Dawson (LaFontaine, IN/Southwood), and junior Brandon Clifton (Lafayette, IN/McCutcheon) each made three grabs, as well.
Jackson, a sophomore linebacker, led the defense with a career-high 10 tackles, a career-best 1-1/2 sacks, and his first career interception. The Little Giants had six sacks for 48 yards and seven tackles for losses totaling 49 yards in the contest.
The Little Giants move to 2-1 with the win. Huntingdon falls to 0-3. Wabash will travel to Meadville, Pennsylvania next Saturday to open the North Coast Athletic Conference portion of the 2003 season against Allegheny College.