S

The Huntland High School Hornets lost to the Richland Raiders 18-14 at home Friday for their fifth loss of the season.

The back-and-forth regional contest came down to the final minute with the Hornets driving into enemy territory late but coming up just short due to a fumble inside the 10-yard line.

Huntland head football coach Kermit Reed said key mistakes for his team, including three total fumbles for the day, proved to be too much to overcome.

“We played really hard, again made some mental mistakes, and we turned the ball over three times at crucial times. That was the difference in the ballgame,” he said, adding later: “It comes down to execution and being mentally tough enough to make the plays when it’s time.”

The Hornets moved into enemy territory on their first drive on a fourth-down run by Jarren Kinslow, but the ball was fumbled on the same play and recovered by the Raiders.

After a punt from the Raiders, the Hornets fumbled the ball again on their next offensive snap to give Richland the ball 22 yards away from the end zone.

The Raiders capitalized on the great field position and scored a rushing touchdown on the ensuing possession. Huntland’s Lashawn Kimmons blocked the point-after attempt to keep the score at 6-0 with 5:34 left in the opening period.

The Hornets answered back early with a 76-yard drive which ended in a touchdown run by Trace Kilpatrick on the first play of the second quarter. The point-after kick by Grant Morris just missed to the left to leave the game tied at 6-6.

The Hornets got a turnover on the next drive as Kilpatrick intercepted a pass and ran it back to Richland’s 44-yard line.

However, the Hornets were set back on their ensuing possession by a holding penalty and ultimately turned the ball over on downs with 2:27 left in the first half.

The Raiders quickly advanced the ball down the field and made it inside of Huntland’s 10-yard line in the last 30 seconds of the half.

The Raiders broke out a trick play with a reverse end-around into a pass, but Grant Jernigan got in front of the intended receiver and intercepted the ball to keep Richland from taking the lead.

The score was tied at 6-6 at halftime.

The Raiders started the second half with the ball at midfield and drove down for a rushing touchdown to pull ahead by a score of 12-6 with 8:18 to go in the third quarter.

The Hornets again responded with a touchdown drive of their own as a 70-yard possession ended in a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Evan Keller to Jernigan over the middle of the field with five minutes left in the third quarter.

Kinslow crossed the goal line on the two-point conversion to give the Hornets a 14-12 lead.

The Raiders drove into Huntland’s territory again on their next drive, but the Hornets forced a fumble which was recovered by Kimmons for a turnover.

The Hornets elected to go for it on fourth-and-short at their own 40-yard line, but a run up the middle was stopped for a turnover on downs.

The Raiders then took the ball down and scored a rushing touchdown with 8:11 remaining to take the lead once more at 18-14.

The Hornets attempted to take a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, but the ball stopped perfectly at the 1-yard line to pin them back deep.

After two incomplete passes and a run for no gain, the Hornets punted the ball back to Richland and made a defensive stop with a turnover on downs to get the ball back once more at their own 31-yard line with 4:24 to play.

The Hornets steadily worked their way down the field, and with 35 seconds to go, they took their final timeout just eight yards away from a potential go-ahead touchdown.

Coming out of the timeout, the Hornets attempted to run a reverse, but the ball was fumbled on the second handoff, and a Richland defender immediately dove on the loose ball.

The Raiders took the one knee they needed to run out the rest of the clock as the Hornets lost by four.

With the loss, the Hornets moved to 0-5 on the season and 0-2 in regional play.

Reed said that his players will need to have a short memory as they move on to their next game.

“We’re going to go back to work and try to get ready for the next one. That’s all you can do,” he said. “You can’t go and cry about what happened. We’ve got to move forward.”

They will next play Friday at home against Wayne County High School. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.