Centerburg rallied in the fourth quarter to give Highland a heartbreaking 34-26 loss in KMAC football on Friday.
The win keeps the Trojans perfect at 4-0, while Highland falls to 2-2.
A 16-yard scoring run by Kadin Johnson and a 17-yard scamper by Dane Nauman staked the Scots to a 14-7 lead after the first quarter. Johnson also added a two-point run after the second of those touchdowns.
The score was 20-7 after Johnson hit Landon Remmert on a 91-yard scoring pass, but Centerburg closed to within a 20-13 lead at the intermission.
The Trojans would tie the game midway through the third quarter, but the Scots regained the lead late in the period after a two-yard run by Johnson.
Unfortunately for the Scots, their 26-20 lead wouldn’t hold up through the final 12 minutes of action. Centerburg took a 27-26 lead with just over four minutes left in regulation and then clinched the win in the final minute after a Johnson pass was picked off and taken back for points.
Johnson completed 11 passes for 247 yards with Remmert catching five balls for 126 of that total. Landyn Albanese, Gavin Hankins and Chase Ray all had two receptions. Nauman ran for 136 yards to pace the Scot ground game.
Cardington Pirates
Cardington led visiting East Knox early in their Friday night KMAC match-up, but couldn’t hold that lead in falling by a 33-18 margin.
After the Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead, the Pirates got within a one-point margin after Nate Hickman connected with Ashton Plowman for a 33-yard touchdown. They would take a 12-7 advantage in the second period after Hickman hit Gabe McConnell for a 19-yard touchdown, but EK tallied two quick scores to jump in front by a 20-12 margin going into the half.
East Knox would extend their lead to a 26-12 score entering the final period of play, but a 65-yard scoring pass from Hickman to Plowman brought the team within eight at 26-18.
Unfortunately for Cardington, they would not be able to score again and East Knox was able to get an insurance touchdown with five minutes left in regulation.
Hickman completed 17 passes for 281 yards in the game and also led the team with 33 rushing yards. Plowman had four catches for 149 yards, while McConnell had three for 57 and Trey Brininger finished with six for 47. Zach Lester added a pair of receptions.
