After Choctaw Central had to cancel on Monday, Lake football coach Tate Hanna was glad to find a football game on Wednesday with Pelahatchie.
On Friday night, he was just glad to come away with a win.
The Hornets stopped a two-point conversion with 14 seconds left in the game and held on to take a 28-27 win over the Chieftains on Friday night.
The Hornets are now 2-1 on the season and will host Morton on Friday night.
After Choctaw cancelled, it was late Wednesday night before Lake scheduled the game with Pelahatchie, who was originally scheduled to play Bay Springs.
“We actually practiced in pads on Thursday to try to get ready for them,” Hanna said. “That’s not a lot of prep time but I thought our staff and kids did a great job of getting ready. Pelahatchie has a solid team and have some good seniors and are well coached. We went from preparing for a team that might throw it every down to one that is going to run quarterback power with two tight ends. They ran a lot of stuff we hadn’t seen.”
After swapping a pair of punts in the first quarter, Lake got on the board first. After a big 47-yard run by J.D. Evans, Cornelius Mayers scored on an 11-yard run with 3:16 left in the first quarter.
Pelahatchie took the lead into the half as they scored on a pair of quarterback runs of 15 and 17 yards to lead 14-7 at halftime.
“We struggled at times on offense,” Hanna said. “I thought the defense played a heck of a game. It’s probably the first time this year that the defense has carried us. I thought we dominated the line of scrimmage in the second half. We just gave up two or three big plays that really hurt us.”
The Hornets threw a pair of interceptions to start the second half but got one of their own as Desmond Chapman returned a pick 54 yards for a touchdown with 4:02 left in the third. Pazo booted the PAT and Lake tied the game at 14-14.
The Chieftains answered with a five-play, 55-yard drive as they threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to take a 21-14 lead late in the third quarter.
The Hornets responded with a nine-play, 65-yard drive as Brady McGee hit Jadorian Pace on a 30-yard touchdown pass. Pazo’s PAT was good and Lake tied the game at 21-21.
After swapping fumbles, the Hornets took the lead late in the fourth when McGee scored on a 22-yard run. Pazo hit the PAT and Lake led 28-21.
Pelahatchie drove down the field and faced fourth and 12 from the Lake 29. The Chieftains threw a pass over the middle that was tipped by a Lake defender and landed in the hands of a Pelahatchie receiver who scored with 14 seconds left in the game. The Chieftains went for two and the Hornets stopped the quarterback at the goal line to preserve the win.
“I thought our kids showed a lot of heart on the two-point attempt,” Hanna said. “They scored on fourth down on a tipped pass that was sort of a freak play. But our kids stepped up and made a big play. I thought they had scored at first but we stood him up at the goal line. I was proud of the way they bounced back from that play.”
The Hornets had 360 yards of total offense with 292 rushing and 68 yards passing. Mayers had 109 yards rushing on 18 carries while McGee had 102 yards rushing on 12 carries and was 6-of-14 passing for 68 yards. Evans had 81 yards rushing on four carries. Pace had two catches for 43 yards.
On defense, Mayers had big game as well with nine tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry. Kalvin Dinkins had five solo tackles, three tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Kenny Ray Hanna and Easton Tune each had six solo tackles and four assists while Jalen Gray had six solo tackles and two assists.
