HANNIBAL, Mo. - A series of unfortunate events spoiled the Fulton Hornets' upset bid against the Hannibal Pirates in a 42-14 NCMC loss Friday night at E.A. Porter Stadium.
Hannibal surprisingly picked up its first home win this season, but also posted its 10th straight victory over Fulton. Despite Friday night's decisive outcome, Hornets head coach Blake Logan doesn't believe it was indicative of the game's competitiveness.
"We saw on film from years' past that sometimes when the kids got down, they would just fold," Logan said. "There were times (Friday night) we were fighting back, but we just got winded.
"The other team does too, but it's something we'll have to battle with going forward."
In fact, Fulton (2-4, 1-2 North Central Missouri Conference) led for most of the first half until a six-play sequence late in the second quarter dynamically shifted the momentum.
The Hornets got off to a promising start on the game's opening possession, marching 71 yards down the field. The series was sparked by senior wide receiver Makygh Galbreath's 42-yard double-pass to junior wide receiver Joseph Hinchie.
Senior quarterback Cameron Vaughn would then deliver senior wide receiver Tre Vaughn with his first touchdown catch of the year on a 12-yard pass to quickly suck the air out of the Pirates' homecoming crowd.
Hannibal (4-2, 3-1) would respond accordingly on its next drive. Sophomore running back Dante Reading scored his first of three touchdowns as he barrelled into the end zone from 2 yards out with 5 minutes, 21 seconds to go in the first quarter, tying the game at 7-all.
After the teams exchanged punts to end the quarter, the Hornets regained the lead when Vaughn rolled to his left and perfectly delivered a 23-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Nazir McClain at the 8:31 mark of the second quarter.
Another touchdown pulled the Pirates even again, but Fulton was once again driving with just under 4 minutes remaining in the half.
At the Hannibal 39-yard line, the Hornets would then proceed to unravel as Vaughn tossed his first interception of the game. Despite the mistake, Fulton seemed primed to get the ball back with the Pirates facing a 2nd-and-20.
However, Hornets senior middle linebacker LeCheyon Williams snatched Hannibal junior quarterback Gabe Worthington's face mask on a would-be sack.
Worthington capitalized on the 15-yard penalty when he connected with senior wide receiver Wyatt Welder on a 15-yard touchdown pass with :11 remaining to put the Pirates in front.
Fulton's series of miscues, though, weren't over. The Hornets failed to get their hands on the ensuing kickoff and Hannibal recovered the ball at the Fulton 11.
Two plays later, Worthington flipped an 11-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Will Whitaker as time expired, sending the Pirates into the break with a 28-14 advantage.
In the blink of an eye, the Hornets went from possibly taking the lead into halftime to being down two possessions. It was a stretch Fulton certainly would have liked to have had back as it failed to generate much offense after that point.
"I think some of our guys lost a little focus. We got tired, we got winded and if you don't execute against a well-coached team like this, you're gonna pay," Logan said. "When your back's against the wall on the road, you have to do that.
"We came out swinging, but we had lapses in focus and we're not good enough for that."
Vaughn was one of the players most affected by fatigue. After a blistering start with two touchdown throws, Vaughn struggled in finishing 9-of-13 for 105 yards with two interceptions and was sacked three times.
"I think he just got winded and lost some focus. After he made that great play to Naz, I think he thought he could make more plays like that," Logan said. "And when you're tired, it's easier to throw a pass than to maybe take another hit.
"We just tried to keep him up, but he's a kid that doesn't get rattled. I just think he was tired."
Worthingon completed 10-of-13 passes for 142 yards, the three touchdowns and an interception. All but one completion found its way into the hands of either Welder or Whitaker.
The duo combined for nine catches and 132 yards, and regularly feasted on the host of Hornets who tried to man the second cornerback spot opposite Galbreath.
"We had the athletes to guard them, I think we were just being a little passive. We're too good athletically to be playing off-coverage like that," Logan said. "We had two all-state kids guarding them later and they were still able to make plays.
"We were in man-to-man and they ran those pick plays and we didn't communicate. They kind of picked on our other corner, but I personally was worried about those guys because they step up and make plays when their backs are against the wall."
With all that being said, Fulton still had chances in the second half to pull closer as the defense shut out Hannibal in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Hornets only picked up one first down off a personal-foul penalty and failed to regain the momentum they had built earlier.
Reading would tack on two more short touchdown runs in the fourth quarter to put the game firmly out of reach. The Pirates finished with 234 yards rushing, with Reading leading the way with 99 yards on 19 carries.
McClain was the standout for the Hornets as he led the team in receiving again with five catches for 84 yards. Fulton sacked Worthington three times, twice by Tre Vaughn and once by senior defensive lineman Colton Bristol.
"I think overall, we're not satisfied, but we were happy with their effort against a really good team," Logan said. "Like I said, it came down to execution and we would get them third-and-long, or fourth down, and just let them off the hook."
The Hornets play NCMC foe Boonville for homecoming this week at Robert E. Fisher Jr. Stadium. The Pirates (3-3, 1-2) were stunned by Kirksville in a 27-6 NCMC home loss Friday night.
Stevie Johnson can be reached at (573) 826-2423, or on Twitter @Stevie_FSun.