Huntingdon edges Lexington

HUNTINGDON - The third annual Huntingdon-Lexington jamboree showcased two evenly-matched teams on Friday night at Paul Ward stadium.

Huntingdon finished with an 8-7 win over the visiting Tigers.

After a long drive on the first possession of the game, Lexington struck first with a score on a 30-yard fade pass from QB Tylan Johnson to WR Seth Parker that gave the Tigers an early 7-0 lead.

Both teams then traded possessions with no score before the Mustangs got on the board.

Starting at his own 45-yard line, Huntingdon RB Dylan Johnson took a direct snap and headed for the right sideline before zig-zagging his way back across the field for a 55-yard TD run.

After initially sending his kicking unit on for the PAT, Huntingdon coach Eric Swenson called a timeout before sending his offense back on the field for Johnson to convert the two-point conversion on a toss play.

“I learned something from Coach (Malcolm) Pendergrass when I was a very young coach,” said Swenson. “He told me that if I have to throw half back passes to win the jamboree, I’m going to try to win it.”

Huntingdon’s defense stopped the Lexington offense on their last possession to hold on for the 8-7 victory.

Although both teams had success at times on Friday night, both Swenson and Lexington coach Bryant Hollingsworth said their teams had room for improvement.

“We’ve got some things to work on, some things to correct,” said Hollingsworth. “We’ll get back at it Monday. Huntingdon’s a good team, and it was a good team tonight.”

Like Hollingsworth, Swenson praised his opponent and predicted that they’d have a successful year.

“They (Lexington) are going to have a really big season,” he said. “They’ve got a good team, and they’re physical and fast.”

Both teams will have a week to recover and prepare for the season as both teams have byes in Week 1.

Lexington will kickoff the season Aug. 26 at Riverside, and Huntingdon will host Camden on the same night.