Bulldogs secure victory by converting crucial two-point play against Lions – Top

And the Harrisburg Bulldogs made that one play – a two-point conversion run by senior Travis Fann, turning a 28-27 deficit into a huge 29-28 road victory over the previously undefeated Carterville Lions Friday.

Carterville broke free from a 21-21 tie to score the go-ahead touchdown with 2:06 left in the ballgame on an 11-yard rollout pass from Brandon Skelcher to Mason Watts. The point-after-kick by Riley Crain was good for a 28-21 lead.

Instead of wilting under the pressure, the Bulldogs struck back quickly, and in a big way.

Junior quarterback Owen Rann connected with fellow junior Aiden Unthank on the first play from scrimmage – a wheel route down the right sideline, resulting in a 66-yard touchdown pass.

“Our coaches designed that play and our quarterback had the confidence in me to throw it to me, and I want to thank him for that. Nobody’s ever believed in me before,” Unthank said.

Unthank said the win was key to the team’s future success.

“I believe we can do big things the rest of this seasons,” he said. “I believe this year belongs to us. I believe in my teammates.”

Rann said it was an easy decision to go for two points and the win on the road.

“We trust our O-line,” he said. “They worked hard all game.”

Regarding the long TD pass that set up the winning conversion run, Rann said the play was put in during a recent practice session.

“I’m just glad it worked,” he said. “This is the biggest win I have ever been a part of. Words can’t describe how I feel right now. It’s a true blessing. I’m so proud of our guys.”

Rann said he and his teammates have confidence in their ability.

“We know what we’re capable of. We just have to go out there and prove it like we did tonight.”

Bulldogs third-year head coach Matt Griffith couldn’t wipe the smile off his face after the game.

“Going for two, we just had that classic mentality that you go for the win on the road,” he said. “You’re trading punches with a really good team and you want to make a statement. Everyone in our huddle had faith in the call. We wanted to go smash mouth and Travis is a guy who has paid his dues day in and day out.”

Griffith said the win is important for his program.

“We told our kids all week that if we wanted to have a conversation about making a run at conference, this is the game you look at,” he said. “We had to get in this fist fight, trading punches toe-to-toe with them, to win it. And tonight, we did.”

Griffith added that he was especially pleased with his team’s resiliency.

“We didn’t back down when we fell behind,” he said. “Tonight, we enjoy the win and then get ready for Murphysboro next week. We’re going to have to prepare for another fight.”

Diel said it was a good game that could have gone either way.

“We’ve had our share of breaks the first five games,” he said. “There’s no doubt that we had two games that we won in the final minute. Tonight, we just came up a little bit short. We were right there.

“Harrisburg’s a very good football team,” Diel said. “They have some physical kids and some athletic kids and they’re well coached. It came down to a two-point conversion for the win. I don’t know what else there is to say.

“It was a great high school football game with two good teams,” Diel continued. “Both of these teams are playoff teams. We got a taste of what it’s going to be like in late October or early November. We’re just going to have to pick ourselves up (from this loss) and go on to the next week. It’s only Week 6. We’re not done yet.”

Harrisburg’s Tevin Godsey opened the scoring with 6:30 to play in the opening quarter on a 10-yard TD run. The score was set up by Godsey’s interception of a Skelcher pass at the Carterville 40. The point-after-kick was good by Trenton Price for a 7-0 lead.

The Lions bounced back four minutes later when Skelcher connected with Nick Bisching for a 90-yard scoring strike. Crain’s PAT was good for a 7-7 score at the 2:26 mark of the opening period.

Carterville took the lead with 8:32 to play in the second period on a 3-yard TD run by Payton Van Horn. The PAT was good for a 14-7 advantage.

Rann evened the score for the Bulldogs with a 14-yard run to paydirt with 0:39 left in the half.

After a scoreless third period, the Lions retook the lead with 11:47 to play in the game on a 6-yard run by Chance Myers, giving the host team a 21-14 lead.

Harrisburg fought back again – this time with 9:55 left in the fourth period on a 41-yard TD run by Karmello Downey, who led all rushers with 152 yards on 18 carries.

Again, the Lions responded, scoring with 2:06 to play on an 11-yard pass play from Skelcher to Watts. That score gave the Lions a 28-21 lead and set the stage for Harrisburg’s dramatic last score, giving the boys from Saline County a one-point win at 29-28.

Carterville did put a scare into the Dogs, driving all the way to the Harrisburg 35 before turning it over on downs.

Skelcher completed 18-of-38 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns. Bisching accounted for six catches for 170 yards and a score. Myers led the ground attack for the Lions with 81 yards on 16 carries. Van Horn added 51 yards on 11 attempts.

Rann completed 8-of-14 passes for 142 yards, including the 66-yarder to Unthank. Braden Burtis had three catches for 59 yards. Reed Rider had one catch for 21 yards and also rushed for 16 yards on six carries.

Harrisburg hosts Murphysboro Friday in another key River-to-River Conference Ohio Division battle, while Carterville plays host to Massac County.