Armed with the ball and that trusty sidekick known as momentum, the Fulton Hornets were in prime position to tie the rival Mexico Bulldogs in the fourth quarter of Friday night's Highway 54 Bowl.
"We gave ourselves a chance there at the end, and that's all you can ask for," Fulton head coach Pat Kelley said.
The Hornets shut out the Bulldogs' powerful running attack during the game's final 23 minutes, but couldn't muster that breakthrough touchdown in a 20-13 North Central Missouri Conference homecoming loss at Robert E. Fisher Stadium.
Fulton (4-4, 2-3 NCMC) trailed 14-13 as it kicked off to Mexico to begin the second half.
From his own 44-yard line, Bulldogs junior quarterback Spencer Thomas mishandled the snap, collected the ball and sprinted to his left. A Hornet defender lost his footing on the edge and Thomas raced down the Mexico sideline for a 56-yard touchdown. Senior kicker Cole Jaramillo had his extra-point attempt blocked, leaving the Bulldogs with a seven-point advantage just 10 seconds into the third quarter.
"That was just a freak play," Kelley said. "The quarterback drops the ball and runs around the end, and the defender loses contain."
Fulton then went three-and-out on its next series after netting just 3 yards
Mexico (6-2, 4-1) took the ball from its 40 with 9:58 remaining in the quarter. Thomas ran for 14 yards on a third-and-3 from his 47 to convert the first down. The Hornets aided the Bulldogs in another first down, drawing a 15-yard personal foul after junior running back Karsten Eckern was held for no gain on first down from the Fulton 37.
Senior running back Tyler Bracht then ripped off an 18-yard gain on the next play to give Mexico first-and-goal from the 4.
Eckern picked up a yard on first down, then Hornets junior defensive lineman Zach Benner threw Bulldogs junior running back D'Milo Nunnelly for a 2-yard loss. Nunnelly gained back 3 yards to set up Mexico with a fourth down from the 3.
The Bulldogs called an Eckern run up the gut, but Fulton junior defensive tackle Elisha Eniade stuffed him for no gain to give the Hornets the ball back on downs with 5:37 left in the quarter.
"That was probably one of the best defensive series we've had all season on the goal line," Kelley said. "To be able to do that against a team that hangs its hat on pounding the ball, I'm awfully proud of the kids."
Fulton gave itself some breathing room on a 27-yard strike to senior wide receiver Devin Gibson from senior quarterback Sam Christensen on third down. Christensen then connected with junior wide receiver Radarion Glover for 17 yards.
The drive stalled at the Mexico 32 three plays later on fourth-and-13. Benner sacked Thomas for a 10-yard loss on second down on the final play of the quarter and the Hornets took over from their 40 after a punt with 11:12 left in the game.
Nine plays into the ensuing possession, Fulton called timeout on a fourth-and-6 from the Mexico 32. Out of the break, Glover hauled in a 15-yard pass from Christensen to pick up the first down. However, Christensen's intended toss to Gibson in the end zone on the next play was picked off by senior linebacker Johnny McDonald to give the Bulldogs the ball back at their 20 with 6:39 to go.
"We got a little greedy down there. ... It is what it is," Kelley said. "If he completes it, it's a great ball."
Mexico ran 5:57 off the clock on its next series, punting from midfield to end its 11-play, 30-yard drive. Fulton took over with :42 seconds left, but only got as far as its 25 before the game ended.
"We played well. Unfortunately, we didn't play well enough to win," Kelley said. "The kids fought their hearts out, they played well at times; obviously, the conditions didn't help us, but it didn't help them, either."
Nunnelly logged a game-high 139 yards rushing on 18 carries, including a 29-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs on top 7-0 with 6:23 left in the first quarter.
Junior running back Travis Dean - held to a season-low 30 yards on 12 attempts - then tied the game on a 32-yard scoring scamper with 2:50 remaining in the quarter. Fulton was limited to 48 yards rushing as a team on 31 carries.
"They just beat us up front," Kelley said. "They had three guys in the middle and the linebackers were coming hard, and it was tough to have any inside running game."
Eckern ran 20 times for 85 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run to give Mexico a 14-7 edge with 5:19 to go in the first half.
The Hornets drew within a point at halftime on an 18-yard halfback pass from Dean to Gibson for a touchdown with :29 to play.
"It was one of those things where we saw as soon as they pitched the ball, the corner came up and Devin went free and it seemed like forever before (Dean) threw it," Kelley said. "The safety came over and made a great play, and Devin had to make a great catch."
Christensen completed 12-of-20 passes for 177 yards. Gibson had a game-high four catches for 88 yards.
Thomas didn't complete a pass, but ran six times for 74 yards as Mexico gained 320 yards on the ground in 47 attempts.
The Hornets conclude the regular season this week with an NCMC game at Kirksville. The Tigers (1-7, 0-4) picked up their first win of the season at Trenton 31-24 on Friday night.
"We've got to go on the road this week to play in a tough environment, but we'll be up for the challenge," Kelley said.
•Notes: Slots 3-6 in the Class 3, District 6 standings remain the same. Fulton maintained third place with 35.3 points, Owensville (30.23) is fourth, Eldon (27.8) fifth and Boonville (25.62) sixth.