The Danville Hawks saw a four-point lead vanish with less than a minute to go in their loss to Phil Campbell Friday in the 3A Region 8 finale.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Bobcats struck first with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Pace to Andrew Green. Following the two-point conversion, Phil Campbell led 8-0.
Danville got on the scoreboard less than 20 seconds later, when Carson Crowe scored on a 30-yard run to cut the Phil Campbell lead to 8-7.
The Hawks took the lead with 3:01 left in the second quarter when Gage Taylor hooked up with Kohl Randolph for a 38-yard touchdown pass and a 14-8 lead.
They extended the lead to 21-14 after Jaiguan Loyd intercepted a Bobcats’ pass and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown with 1:57 remaining in the first half.
Phil Campbell cut the lead to 21-16 right before halftime with a five-yard touchdown pass from John Randle Herring to Pace.
The Bobcats took the lead in the third following a 30-yard touchdown run by Green. With a successful two-point conversion, the Phil Campbell lead was 24-21.
The Hawks grabbed the lead back on their next possession when Taylor and Randolph connected for a 34-yard touchdown and the 28-21 lead.
The Hawks held on to the lead until the Bobcats’ Herring scored on a one-yard run with 39 seconds remaining in the game. After the two-point conversion, Phil Campbell led 32-28.
The Bobcats added to their lead when Green intercepted a Taylor pass and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown with 28 seconds left in the game, making the final score 40-28.
Bo Huff led the Hawks’ rushing attack with 132 yards on 19 carries. Crowe added 73 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Taylor was four of five for 127 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Randolph had two catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Dylan McCleskey had one catch for 41 yards, and Loyd had one catch for 13 yards.
Crowe led the defense with 15 tackles. Taylor added 13 tackles, Huff had 12 tackles, and Kam Hogan had 10 tackles with two sacks.
Danville (4-5) will close out the season Friday, hosting Lawrence County (0-9).