Event Recap: Harper College Football Team Wins Valley of the Sun Bowl Scoring 5 Touchdowns in 4th Quarter The Harper College Football Team (11-1) has done the impossible. They scored 33 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to defeat Phoenix College 39-38. With less than 50 seconds in the game, Senica Jackson (Streamwood) scored his second touchdown from the two yard line for the go-ahead score. On the next possession Phoenix fumbled the ball at midfield to secure the game for the Hawks. Garrett Barnas (Bureau Valley) who threw for 3 TD's and ran for one was the MVP of the Bowl Game. Harper is now 11-1 for the season and will be crowned Division III National Champs. Harper trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter of play before they got on the board. Barnas completed a 37 yard scoring strike to Dello Davis (Kirkwood). The PAT was wide of the mark leaving the Hawks trailing by 11. The Hawks missed three other scoring drives as two field-goals were blocked and a drive to the Phoenix red-zone resulted in a 96 yard interception touchdown return. Phoenix led 23-6 at intermission. Phoenix scored twice in the 3rd quarter to advance their lead to 38-6 before the Hawks caught fire. When Phoenix inexplicably chose to go for a 2-point conversion with the game clearly in hand, it infuriated the Harper players and coaches. This gave the spark that turned the tide for the Hawks. Harper countered with a 5-yard scoring scamper by Jackson (8 carries, 37 yards, 2 TDs) with 13:39 to play, slicing the deficit to 38-14 after the 2-point conversion. A Hawk's defensive stand on the next series set the table for Barnas magic. The sophomore QB racked up 176 of his single-game school record 380 passing yards in the final quarter. A Barnas 7-yard keeper brought Harper within 38-20. The defense forced the Bears into a three-and-out series that was capped by Joseph Smith's (Thorton Fractioanl South) fumble recovery on the Phoenix 31. That led directly to the Barnas-to-Brian LeSeur (Barrington) 34 yard bomb as the Hawks pulled within 38-26 with 7:50 left in the final quarter After another defensive stop, Barnas once again went to the air and connected with Neil Sammons (Rolling Meadows) for a ten yard strike with 2:54 remaining.  |  | | Pugh | Macarthy |
On the ensuing kickoff, the Hawks' Eric Pugh (MacArthur) blasted the Bears' return man and forced a fumble that was recovered by Ayodeji Macarthy (Merrillville) on the Phoenix 15-yard line, setting the stage for Jackson's second - and decisive - score. This was the greatest comeback in Harper's 38-year history. | 
