Harleton wins on amazing comeback

Photo by John Niesner RUN, TYLER! — Sabine's Tyler Weatherford scored on a 13-yard run on Friday. LIBERTY CITY — The Harleton Wildcats clawed their way back from 21 points down in the fourth quarter to complete an amazing comeback and defeat Sabine at Liberty City, 28-24.

The Cardinals, needing a District 18-2A win and leading 24- 7, were in total control of the game with one minute left in the third quarter and appeared ready to put the game away, facing a second-and-goal from the Harleton 1-yard-line. However, the Wildcat defense would force Sabine's Bernard Alexander to fumble the ball, inches before he crossed the goal line.

The play prevented the Cardinals from scoring and taking what would have possibly been an insurmountable 24-point lead. Instead, Harleton took over possession at their own 1 and marched down the field in four plays as running back Greg Beham sliced up the middle for a 14-yard touchdown run and finished the quick drive with 10:54 left.

Beham led the Wildcats offensively, rushing for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.

The Cardinals grabbed the momentum early in the game when the defense forced a Ryan Nichols fumble on second down. The Cardinal offense could not convert the turnover into points, but Tyler Weatherford would intercept a Logan Jones pass intended for Dakota Weeks on Harleton's next offensive possession. Sabine quarterback Lie'Quan Byrd shot around the left side for a 28-yard run on the very next play. Weatherford went up the middle for a 13- yard touchdown on first down, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead with 4:04 to go in the first quarter.

Harleton lost two fumbles to the Cardinals in the first half.

The Sabine defense led by Logan Springs, Marc Cunningham, and Jurray Todd, forced Harleton to a three-and-out on their next possession. Then, facing a fourth-and-6 from the Wildcat 20, head coach Jerry Baker and his staff elected to try a field goal. Taylor Gray's 37 yard kick split the uprights and the Cardinals went ahead 10-0 with 9:08 to play in the first half.

Cunningham recovered a Connor Lloyd fumble on the Wildcats' first play of their ensuing drive, but again the Cards could not capitalize and Byrd punted the ball 36 yards back to Harleton where the ball was downed at the Wildcats' 3. Fullback Spencer Morris picked up 1 yard on first down, diving up the middle. Facing a secondand 9 from their own 4, Beham bounced around the right side and outran the Cardinal defenders for a 96-yard scoring run. Sabine still led 10-7 with 6:10 left until halftime.

Sabine's Laramy Barber fumbled the ensuing kickoff return, but was able to recover his own fumble. Two plays later, quarterback Jacob Kenna dropped back and rifled a 66-yard touchdown pass to Gray with 5:32 to play in the second quarter. Sabine took a 17-7 lead into the locker room.

The Cardinals recovered an onside kick attempt by Harleton on the opening kickoff of the second half and were blessed with a short field, starting from their own 47. Byrd and company would capitalize, as Gray hauled in a 20 yard reception on third and 13, before he was tackled by the Wildcats' Billy Smith at the Harleton 36. Bernard Alexander took the option pitch from Byrd around the left side 31 yards for another Sabine touchdown with 9:08 to play in the third quarter. Gray's kick was good again, and the Cardinals held a 24-7 lead.

Kenna found Gray for a 68- yard bomb on the Cardinals' next drive, placing the ball at the Harleton seven yard line. Kenna took the snap from the shotgun and ran up the middle for six more yards before he was stopped at the Wildcats' one yard line. Then, a devastating 14 point-swing occurred on the next play when Harleton came up with a Bernard Alexander fumble on the 1. To make matters worse, the Wildcats used just six plays to go the full 99 yards, capped off by Beham's 14 yard run up the middle for the touchdown. Instead of leading 31-7, Sabine now found themselves in a real fight, leading by a score of 24-14 with 10:54 left to play.

The Wildcat defense led by Bret Bolt and Ryan Nichols, stopped the Cardinals short on their next drive and then Harleton quarterback Logan Jones didn't waste any time on the Wildcats very next play as he dropped back and found a wide open Nichols for a 90 yard touchdown pass with 6:52 left in the fourth quarter.

Sabine still led, however, 24- 21, but a holding penalty on the Cards next drive led to a threeand out, forcing them to punt the ball back to Harleton with just under four minutes to play.

The Wildcats hurry up offense cut through the Cardinal defense again, led mostly by the running of Nichols and Beham. With the game now seemingly in their reach and facing a firstand 10 from the Sabine 19, Harleton's Beham took the pitch around the right side for the go ahead touchdown. Connor Lloyd's extra point was successful and Harleton led 28-24 with just 1:44 left to play.

This marks the second consecutive game in which the Cardinals have given up 21 unanswered fourth quarter points.

Sabine falls to 2-4 after this heart-breaking loss and 0-3 in district play and will travel to Harmony next Friday to take on the Eagles.