By Staff
Jonathan Willis
THARPTOWN – The Tharptown football program continues to feel the growing pains of entering Class 1A, Region 8 play, falling Thursday night 34-0 to the R.A. Hubbard Chiefs.
Tharptown coach Barry Laster said he knew what his team would be facing this year as they began playing in one of the state's toughest regions.
"Losing is never fun, but we came in knowing that this would be tough,"' Laster said.
"Hubbard has a lot of talent on that team."
The Wildcats (1-7, 1-6) fumbled the opening kickoff and quickly fell behind.
Hubbard (7-1, 7-1) ranked No. 9 in Class 1A, built a 22-0 lead in the first seven and a half minutes of the game and never looked back.
Tharptown's best scoring opportunity ended with an interception in the end zone with 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Several Hubbard penalties helped the Wildcats drive down the field before turning the ball over.
"We played hard," Laster said. "The kids played hard, and I told them to keep their heads up. We just played a better team tonight."
Several Wildcats have either left the team or have been injured, leaving the lineup filled with underclassmen.
"We are a young team and the ones still out here are working hard and learning," Laster said. "We will get better with time. We play in a tough region, but our kids are working hard and playing hard. That's all you can ask of them."
Tharptown travles to Vina Friday.