Red Jacket nips Holley on last minute TD

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Holley’s Hunter Smith dives for extra yardage as Red Jacket’s Micah Harshfield (3) and Matthew Allen (10) go for the tackle during the host Hawks narrow lass to the Indians this afternoon.

In a down to the wire sea-saw battle, Red Jacket scored in the last half minute to nip host Holley 28-22 this afternoon in an 8 Man Division game.

Trailing 22-20, Red Jacket pulled out the win as quarterback Micah Harshfield ran 2 yards for a touchdown and then passed to Ethan Gray for the two-point conversion and a 28-22 lead with just 31 seconds remaining.

Holley though had one last opportunity to pull out the win.

Hawks quarterback Destin Kuyal hooked up with Mason Moyer for a big 29 yard pass completion down to the Red Jacket 20 with 5 seconds to go. However, the Hawks comeback bid was dashed as a pass fell incomplete in the endzone as time expired.

In all Holley had to come from behind three times on the windy afternoon.

Red Jacket took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on a 2 yard touchdown run by Harshfield.

Holley answerred back with a long 96 yard scoring drive highlighted by runs of 33 yards by Kuyal and 22 by Hunter Smith and capped off by a 5 yard TD pass from Kuyal to Zach Miler and a two-point conversion with by Smith for an 8-6 lead midway through the second quarter.

Red Jacket regained a 14-8 lead at the half on a 2 yard TD run by Gray and a two-point conversion carry by Harshfield with just 19 seconds to go.

The Holley defense came up with big stops to halt two other Red Jacket drives deep in Hawks territory in the half. First consecutive stops by Frank Golisano, Kuyal and Milner stopped first threat at the 11 and then an interception by Michael Fallato halted the second at the 4.

Holley pulled even at 14-14 late in the third quarter as Smith bulldozed his way into the endzone from 10 yards out.

Red Jacket went back up 20-14 with 8 minutes to go in the fourth quarter on a 41 yard touchdown pass from Aiden Reed to Gray. Fallato intercepted the two-point conversion pass attempt.

Holley though answered right back to regain the lead for the last time at 22-20 on a 3 yard touchdown run and a two point conversion carry by Smith with 5:03 remaining.

However, the last score and the win belonged to Red Jacket which found the endzone with 31 seconds to go to improve to 4-3 as Holley slips to 2-5.

Holley’s Michael Fallato intercepts the ball from Red Jacket’s Ethan Gray. At right, Holley’s Frank Golisano moves in to tackle Harshfield.