Hancock County rolled into Elkton on Friday night with an unblemished record and boasting a scoring average of over thirty points a game, but the high-flying Hornet offense was bottled up for three quarters by a Todd County Central team looking to celebrate Senior Night with a statement victory. However, after yielding only six points over the first thirty-six minutes, the Rebels were outjumped in the endzone for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns that allowed Hancock County to escape with a 20-14 win.
After a pass interference call on 4th and short from the Todd County 32-yard line kept the drive alive, the Hornets took the lead on a 1-yard run on 1st and goal by Logan Willis. The extra point was no good, and Hancock led 6-0 with 6:14 left in the opening quarter.
With 10:16 to go in the second, the Rebels came up with a stop on 4th and 3 and took over at midfield. The ensuing drive lasted four minutes, culminating in a 14-yard scoring run by quarterback Preston Moore. Todd County also missed the extra point attempt, and the teams were tied 6-6 with 6:22 left in the half.
As the clock ticked down toward halftime with the Rebels facing a 3rd and short on the Hancock 18, Moore found Gavyn Nolan in the endzone for the go-ahead touchdown. Todd County went for 2, with Moore connecting with Nate Reding to take a 14-6 edge into the locker room.
The Rebels only threatened once in the third quarter, beginning a drive at their own 32 after Ethan Tomerlin recovered a Hancock County fumble. On 3rd and 25 from their own 35, Moore scrambled and hit Omarion Riddick on the sideline for a completion to the Hancock 37-yard line. However, Moore was sacked back to midfield on 3rd and 9, and the Rebels were forced to punt.
The Hornets began the fourth quarter with a 1st and 10 from the Rebel 35, and quarterback Cole Dixon connected with Noah Mize down to the 7-yard line. The Rebel defense held for the first two downs, but on their third try, the Hornets took the lead on a pass to Kaleb Keown in the back corner of the endzone. In a preview of things to come, Hancock County went to the same play for the 2-point conversion, with Keown again jumping highest to make the catch to tie the game with just under ten minutes to play.
With 2:07 left on the clock, the Rebel defense once again found itself backed up to the goal line, with Hancock in business with a 1st and goal. Todd County forced a 4th-down try after Isaac Marshall came up with a tackle in the backfield to push the Hornets back to the 9-yard line. Dixon would go to the same well again to break Rebel hearts, putting it up for grabs in the back of the endzone for Keown to make an incredible catch for the score. The 2-point try was unsuccessful, leaving the door open a crack for Todd Central.
Riddick returned the kickoff to the Rebels’ 45-yard line, and hopes rose for a game-tying touchdown. However, on 2nd down, the Hornets Sebastian Fredell intercepted a Moore pass to extinguish thoughts of a Senior Night miracle.
The 2-2 Rebels will need to dust themselves off ahead of a visit from Butler County next week. Todd Central will be hoping for a repeat of last season’s 44-6 throttling of the Bears to get back on track.
