In a defensive battle, Happy Valley had one final answer.
The Warriors took a 14-8 victory over Hampton after Eli Ayers hit Gabe Nichols for a 13-yard touchdown with 13.7 seconds remaining on Warrior Hill on Friday night. The win improved Happy Valley to 3-0 and 1-0 in Region 1-2A play, while the Bulldogs fell to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in regional action.
On the opening drive of the game, Happy Valley jumped out early.
The Warriors got on the board as Noah Stevens hit Andrew Little for a 47-yard touchdown with 9:37 left in the quarter. Cameron Cochran added the extra point as HV took a 7-0 advantage.
Hampton moved to midfield on the next drive, but a fumble ended the drive. From there, defenses stole the show as the teams traded possessions for the rest of the half.
The Bulldogs ended the half with an interception at the goal line by Conor Jones as time expired.
In the second half, Hampton set the tone on the opening drive.
The Bulldogs went on a 15-play drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock. The drive, however, was stalled when the Warriors recorded a stop at the two-yard line on fourth down.
After the Warriors were forced to punt on the ensuing drive, Hampton worked efficiently and found their way onto the scoreboard when Matt Hughes scored on a four-yard touchdown with 9:57 left in the game. Caleb Oaks caught a swing pass from Jones and converted the two-point try to give Hampton an 8-7 advantage.
The Bulldog defense forced another quick Warrior series as Aiden Vines recorded a sack on third down. Happy Valley, however, wasn’t going down without a fight as the Warriors forced Hampton to punt with just over four minutes remaining.
The Warrior offense went to work.
HV got strong runs by Will Title and Luke Roberts, while Ayers hit Little and Title to help move the ball – including a fourth-down conversion. After a personal foul called on Hampton moved the ball to the Bulldog side of the field, HV completed passes to Little and Tittle to set-up the final touchdown of the night.
Hampton had one final play at midfield, but the Warriors stopped Hampton just shy of the 10 to hold on for the win.
The Warriors were paced by Title’s 43 yards on the ground, while Ayers finished 5-of-8 for 47 yards. Little had 71 yards and a score receiving.
Hampton saw Matt Hughes tally 73 yards on 17 carries. Barden had 48 yards, while Oaks finished with 43 yards.
Jones was 4-of-7 passing for 70 yards.
The game winner for Happy Valley pic.twitter.com/UfTGRvbcdK
— Carter County Sports (@CarterCoSports) September 7, 2019
Happy Valley Head Coach Jason Jarrett discusses his team’s win over Hampton
Hampton Head Coach Michael Lunsford discusses his team’s game with Happy Valley
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