The difference between third place and fourth place in District 12-4A was just one point. That was the margin of difference Friday night at F. L. McClain Stadium in Orangefield. It went down to the wire, but the Orangefield Bobcats hung on for a 13-12 victory over the Hardin-Jefferson Hawks.
With the win Orangefield (3-3, 2-1) has clinched third place in the district. Hardin-Jefferson (1-5, 0-3) needs a win next week against Hamshire-Fannett to earn a post season berth.
The what ifs could have the Hawks kicking themselves for not leaving Orangefield with the win. Hardin-Jefferson missed both of its kicks after touchdowns.
The Hawks also appeared to have an opportunity to possibly kick a game winning field goal in the final seconds. The referees changed their ruling on an apparent pass completion that wiped out a 42-yard gain for Hardin-Jefferson to the Bobcats’ 4 with just five seconds left in the game.
Luke Morreale outfought a Bobcat defender for the ball and hit the ground inside the five before raising up the ball to indicate he made the catch. The referees at first agreed. Hardin-Jefferson lined up to execute a quick dump pass to stop the clock before trying a 21-yard field goal. After a fairly lengthy discussion everyone moved back up field to the Orangefield 46, the Bobcats jumping and clapping the Hawks not so enthusiastically indicating the final ruling was an incomplete pass. A “Hail Mary” from H-J’s Brayden Pelt was long and knocked down in the end zone by one of the Bobcats to end the game.
Orangefield took the lead on its first drive of the game driving 52 yards in four plays to a first down at the Hawks’ 19. Three more running plays only netted four yards. Jacob Rainey kicked a 32-yard field goal to put the Bobcats up 3-0 with 8:27 left in the first quarter.
The Bobcats scored again on their second possession. Nine running plays saw Orangefield drive 80 yards. The big play was a 32-yard burst by Dylan Williams. He added another 13-yard carry for a first down to the H-J 5. Blake Bradley scored on the next play to give the Bobcats a 10-point lead with 41 seconds left in the first quarter.
Late in the first half Orangefield missed a golden opportunity to take a bigger advantage. Pelt fumbled the ball, and it appeared that two Bobcats had great chances to fall on the loose pigskin. Pelt to his credit grasped, grabbed, or just scratched harder to get the ball back.
The loss on the play setup a fourth-and-11 and an apparent punting situation from the 22 of Hardin-Jefferson. Hawks’ punter Blake Cruse took the snap and ran left with the Bobcats completely fooled by the fake. Cruse gained 20 yards to the 45 for the first down.
Two plays later Pelt completed a 12-yard pass to Mason Murray to move the ball to the Orangefield 39. After an incomplete pass, Izaak Whitman swept right end for the Hawks. He broke a couple of tackles near the 30, continued down the sideline, before cutting back to his left, and going the distance for a dramatic touchdown with just 80 seconds left in the half. A bad snap on the point-after caused a poor kick by Garrett Hampton which kept the score 10-6.
The second half started with Hardin-Jefferson driving for what could be the go-ahead score. Pelt picked up 14 yards on a fourth-and-one to give the Hawks a first down at the Orangefield 39. On the next play Cade Brown made a great leaping catch to snag an interception for the Bobcats at the 26.
After the two teams exchanged punts, Orangefield took over at its 19. The Bobcats executed nine running plays moving all the way to the Hawks’ 5. Williams cut loose on another long run for 46 yards. He finished the night with 170 yards on 15 carries and was the leading ball carrier in the contest.
The drive stalled at the five. Rainey came in and booted his second field goal of the game this one from 22 yards to make the score 13-6 with only ten seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The Hawks made a comeback bid on their next possession. Pelt completed an 11-yard pass to Trystain Conner for a first down to the Hawks’ 40. Pelt then found Murray on a 40-yard bomb to the Bobcats’ 18. Six running plays later Brayden Pomirko scored from the four.
The initial kick by Hampton was made, but a procedure penalty on the Hawks wiped it out. The second try by Hampton hit the left upright and caromed away keeping the Bobcats up 13-12 with 6:34 left in the game.
Orangefield moved the ball downfield using up the clock and threatening to add to its lead. Quarterback Christian Louvier gained an important first down with a sneak on fourth-and-less than a yard. Williams picked up another first with a 15-yard run.
On third-and-three the Bobcats appeared ready to pick up one more first down that could wrap up the victory. The timing was all off, and Orangefield lost two yards. Rainey came in to punt. The Bobcats tried a fake punt with Blake Bradley sweeping right end for about 15 yards and a potential first down except for a holding penalty on Orangefield. It was the first penalty of the night against the Bobcats.
Rainey did punt the ball and it was downed at the Hawks’ four. On first down the Bobcats almost gained a clinching safety as Murray struggled to just get out of the end zone on a pass from Pelt. An incompletion setup a third-and-13 from the one. Pelt got the first down with clutch pass of 14 yards to Pomirko.
Hardin-Jefferson appeared to make a big play when Pelt found tight end Dylin Duhon-Walker over the middle for a 35-yard gain which would have had another 15 yards tacked on for a horse-collar tackle on Orangefield. A holding penalty on the Hawks wiped the play out.
Not to be denied, the Hawks ran the same play again as Duhon-Walker took a pass for 29 yards before he was hit out-of-bounds by the Bobcats for another 15-yard penalty and a first down to the Orangefield 46. This set the stage for the dramatic final seconds as Orangefield held on to the victory.
Next week Orangefield will play the West Orange-Stark Mustangs at Dan R. Hooks Stadium. The Bobcats could actually move into a tie for first place with the Mustangs by pulling off an upset. Hardin-Jefferson closes out the district at home with a game that will decide fourth place and the final playoff berth against the Hamshire-Fannett Longhorns.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
photo by Darren Hoyland
HJ 0 6 0 6- 12
OF 10 0 3 0- 13
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