The only thing nastier than the playing conditions was Howard's smothering defense.
Throughout Friday night's steady downpour, the Hustlin' Tigers got stronger as the game wore on and pulled away for a dominant 26-0 Region 2-4A win at East Ridge.
Howard held the Pioneers to minus-37 yards in the second half and allowed just 35 total yards for the game while winning by shutout for the third time in its past four games.
"With the sloppy fields, we knew the offenses would be limited," said Howard assistant James Talley, who stepped in as head coach John Starr had to miss the game due to a family emergency. "We came to play a physical game, and that's what the kids did."
The win moved Howard (7-2, 4-1) into a tie with East Hamilton (6-3, 4-1) for the No. 2 seed in the region. The Hustlin' Tigers host the Hurricanes next Friday with home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs on the line.
Aided by the slick field, Howard's special teams accounted for the game's first points. When East Ridge (5-4, 2-3) fumbled a snap while attempting to punt, Hustlin' Tigers senior Eric Johnson rushed in to scoop the ball and race 36 yards for a touchdown just a little more than two minutes into the game.
Although he failed to find the end zone again, the slightly built Johnson ran for 128 yards on 17 carries, helping Howard outgain the Pioneers 294-35 in total offense.
"I saw my linemen going hard and then the ball on the ground, so I had to go get it and score," Johnson said. "That got us some momentum early that we needed, and we just fed off that.
"It was slippery and hard to hold on to the ball, but our coaches kept reminding us to keep a grip on it. It was actually fun out there."
Neither offense threatened until the second quarter, when Howard put together a five-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 21-yard pass from Tremontay Brooks to Jeremiah Wright. On the Hustlin' Tigers ensuing possession, they covered 65 yards in nine plays, with Calvin James scoring on an 11-yard run just 23 seconds before halftime for a commanding 20-0 lead.
From that point Howard's defense forced a pair of three-and-outs and a turnover on downs and had two takeaways, pushing East Ridge back for negative yardage on 10 of its 16 second-half plays.
The most impressive stand came early in the third quarter after East Ridge had blocked a punt and taken over at the Howard 9. Four plays resulted in minus-8 yards, and the Pioneers never threatened again.
East Ridge lost three of its six fumbles, while Howard fumbled only twice, losing one.
Howard put the game away on the first snap of the fourth quarter when Brooks kept the ball around left end and sprinted 63 yards to score. The senior quarterback finished with 112 total yards.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.