Hoyas vs Mustangs

Hoyas Win Rivalry Game Against Mustangs

By Morgana Kennedy

Oct. 9, 2015 

Harrison High School Hoyas on the field preparing to take on the Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs at Colbeigh Stadium, Friday Oct. 9, 2015. (Photo credit: Morgana Kennedy)

 KENNESAW, Ga. –Justin Fields led the offense helping the Harrison Hoyas defeat the Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs 41-14, Friday.

The Hoyas started strong scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter and kept the momentum throughout the game. Running back Chris Kalafut put them on the board at 8:30.

Kennesaw Mountain also scored in the first. Running back Brycen Colon made one of only two touchdowns for the Mustangs with 26 seconds left in the first quarter. The Hoyas played strong defensively holding the Mustangs at seven points until the fourth quarter.

“The defense really took advantage of Kennesaw Mountain’s missed cues and that really set up a lot of opportunities for us in the first half,” Head coach Matt Dickmann said. “We did a great job of picking up their blitzes and moving the football.”

Harrison’s quarterback ran the ball from the 28-yard line for a touchdown in the second quarter putting the Hoyas ahead 27-7. The Mustangs tried to recover, but quarterback Kyle Wooten threw an incomplete pass and they were unable to score.

During the third quarter, Fields and wide receiver Aidan Loucks kept the ball moving. Fields completed a pass to Loucks setting him up for a touchdown.

At the end of the third, Kennesaw Mountain was held at the 13-yard line for four downs. As the fourth quarter began the Hoyas fumbled the ball, and the Mustangs tried to come back.

A final touchdown was made by the Mustangs, but with 41 seconds left in the fourth it was too late. They missed opportunities to score earlier in the game, which helped the Hoyas keep the lead, Dickmann said.

Harrison took home its second win after returning from fall break. The Hoyas are 5-2 for the season.

“It’s great to be in a good position in the region right now,” Dickmann said. “We’ll enjoy this tonight and get back to work tomorrow.”

Preview Game Story: Harrison Hoyas vs. Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs

Rivalry Game, Hoyas vs. Mustangs

By Morgana Kennedy

Oct. 7, 2015

Harrison High School Hoyas practicing Monday, Oct. 6, 2015 at Colbeigh Stadium. (Photo by: Morgana Kennedy)

KENNESAW, Ga. – Harrison High School Hoyas take on Kennesaw Mountain High School Mustangs in a conference game at Colbeigh Stadium on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

The Hoyas won their last game against North Paulding High School’s Wolfpack 35-13 in a region 4-5A match-up putting them at 4-2 for the season. It was their first game after returning from fall break.

Harrison Hoyas head coach Matt Dickmann.  (Photo by: Morgana Kennedy)

Last week’s win was a huge victory for the team overall, according to head coach Matt Dickmann. Both offense and defense made big plays. Quarterback Justin Fields led the offense with 355 yards and defense only allowed the Wolfpack 227 total yards.

“It was about time we played a big game and won the game,” Dickmann said.

If the team plays well in all aspects of the game, like last week, they’ll put up a good fight against the Mustangs. But, the Mustangs pose a challenge to the Hoyas offense.

“Kennesaw Mountain blitzes a lot, probably more than any other team we’ll play, so we have to work a lot on blitz pick up and any other looks they give us,” Dickmann said.

Kennesaw Mountain has a record of 2-3 for the season. In last week’s game the Mustangs defeated Osborne High School Cardinals 33-7.

But, the Hoyas have home field advantage and are up 2-3 for home games. However, the student body of both schools will likely come out in big numbers to show support.

Harrison and Kennesaw Mountain sit on opposing ends of the same stretch of road. With only 4.7 miles between them, they’ve developed a huge rivalry.

If Harrison wins the game it means huge bragging rights, according to Dickmann. The team does not have any injuries and the players are fired up for Friday.

Along with being able to boast, the Hoyas need to continue to win games if they want a spot in the playoffs.

“We’re kind of in the drivers seat meaning that if we keep winning we’ll be ok, but if we lose we take a big step back,” Dickmann said. “Right now we’re controlling our destiny, if we continue to win we set ourselves up for the playoffs.”

Overall the Hoyas have had 14 seasons with a winning record, 14 state playoff appearances and six region championships. Two former Hoyas made it to the NFL, Paul Oliver and Jonathan Abbate.

Feature Writing

By Morgana Kennedy

Feature stories are something that I personally enjoy. Chapter 5 explains how to develop a feature and offers tips and tricks to writing one. Features give the writer a chance to be creative and develop their own voice through story telling.

The first thing to keep in mind is that there is no set way to write a sports feature. The goal is to find a compelling story. Audiences love drama, so a good way to tell a story is through conflict. Finding good material to cover is key. Sometimes it's a person. Sometimes it's a situation.

Before diving into writing, figure out why you want to tell the story. What's the angle? Why did you decide to write it now? Some reasons for writing a feature may be a certain player made the best play of their career or set a record. Maybe its the anniversary of an event or a beloved player's death.

Features require research. You need new information so that you can produce a fresh take on a subject. Something that will set your work apart from others who may choose the same topic. Read older features done on your subject and check social media for possible new stories coming out on it.

Once you've decided what the story is about try to obtain tiny details related to your subject. Go out and ask people what they think of this event or person. Call opposing teams. Verify information with coaches and other team members. Talk to the family if you're writing a feature on a person.


For features on a specific athlete they need to be fully developed with dynamic qualities. Speak to as many people as possible to get an understanding of who this person is/was. Show this person's character through their actions, dialogue, and physical appearance.

Create a setting for this person. You can often describe the setting before describing the person. It gives the audience a better picture.

Using literary techniques can be very helpful in feature writing. It's more than just reporting news. It's telling the story of someone or something.

Writing high school game stories

By Morgana Kennedy


In chapter 4 of my textbook the daunting task of keeping up with the score for high school sports is explained. A reporter covering a high school has to manually keep track of every play themselves. This can be very difficult if visibility is poor or if you are unfamiliar with all the plays of the sport.

Keeping accurate stats is important. It shows an editor that you're competent, and it is a great way to break into sports writing. It's all about the numbers. It is the only way to accurately cover a game.

But stats aren't the only thing a reporter has to keep track of during a high school game. They must be vigilant in getting a quote from the coach of the winning team or the team they're assigned to cover and quotes from players. They need to do research before the game and know who the players are and what position they play.

It's also important to ask the coach before a game which players are starting the game, and if anyone is missing from the roster. The reporter needs to keep accurate notes during the game. When they go to write the story they need to be precise on how names are spelled in the story. Readers of the piece will likely be parents, players, and coaches. It will discredit the reporter if names are misspelled.

Reporters also need to be prepared for direct feedback. These stories are often published locally, and parents may be angry if their child is not featured. Local readers are more likely to try to contact the reporter if they're unhappy with the story.

It can be a very stressful task, but the end result is rewarding. Knowing that people are reading a story you put so much work into is a great feeling.

Narrated Photo Essay

Watch my narrated photo essay on the Raptors below.

Kennesaw State Remains Undefeated

By Morgana Kennedy

KENNESAW, Ga. -- The loud roar of over 8,000 Owl fans rang out as Justin Thompson kicked a 28-yard field goal to help defeat Shorter University 18-10, Saturday.

A major fumble by the Hawks allowed KSU to claim victory. Freshman Dez Billingslea picked up the ball after the failed snap and returned it for a touch down.

Thompson kicked four field goals during the game. He made 42 yards in the first quarter putting KSU on the board (3-0).

Quarterback Trey White threw for 186 yards and had 77 on the ground.  Micha Reed had 100 rushing yards on 26 carries and Justin Sumpter completed five passes for 121 yards. 

Shorter had a total of 135 yards passing and 27 rushing out of 31 attempts.

This game put KSU three for three in its first season ever. But, it was a much closer than the previous game against Edward Waters where the Owls won 58-7.

As the season continues the new comers may have some difficulty keeping their undefeated title. For now, KSU fans can boast a great start.

The Raptors

By Morgana Kennedy

I have an assignment deadline coming up in sports writing. It is to narrate a photo essay. This weekend I went out and shot pictures of the Raptors, a little league team in East-Cobb.

As I watched the six-and-under team take the field a lot of memories of playing sports as a child came flooding back. The boys wore gloves that seemed too big for their small hands, but they were much more coordinated than I was at that age.

They stood in a line and warmed up by throwing to their fathers and coaches. John Bretti is the team's coach and father of one the boys.

"Ultimately what we're looking to do for the practices and the games is to develop the kids to enjoy being a part of a team," Bretti said.

His goal is to shape the boys into team players and to teach them to respect working with each other and listening to their coaches. He hopes this will help them as they progress.

Bretti had them meet him at the mound for a pre-practice pep talk, and then he sent them to home plate to practice running the bases. The boys held their hands up in the air as though they were holding a bat and swung. Parents cheered as the boys did their best to hustle to first base.

I really enjoyed getting to watch the practice, and I took some really great action shots. I'm excited to share my project when it is finished.