Story By Cinthia Rico There were a lot of exciting faces at Sam Kenimer Stadium last Friday night as Pisgah picked up its first-round playoff win since 2010 with a 40-20 victory over Hatton. The Eagles started the evening with a 14-0 deficit in the opening quarter behind 7 and 42-yard touchdown runs before Pisgah’s offense kicked into gear. Jeff Jeffery slipped through the line for a 38-yard touchdown run to place the Eagles on the scoreboard. Legion McCrary added a 2-point conversion slicing the score 14-8 at the end of the first quarter. On their first possession of the second, McCrary rushed for more than 85-yards for a second TD and dove for a 2-point conversion, lifting Pisgah ahead 16-14. In their next few plays, Hatton rallied to reclaim the lead as Love connected with Kahne Little making it 20-16. Mason Holcomb found Luke Gilbert on a 16-yard touchdown pass, then added a 2-point conversion as Pisgah took a 24-20 lead at the half. Neither team scored in the third as the two battled for dominance. The Eagles kicked it up a notch in the fourth quarter, marching from the 35-yard line toward Hatton territory. At the 9:48 mark, Gilbert capped the drive by rushing up the left side for a touchdown. McCrary carried the ball up the middle for a successful 2-point conversion making it 32-20. Pisgah continued its efforts to pull away, with Gilbert breaking free on a long run up the middle untouched for an Eagle first down at the 44-yard line. McCrary used the momentum to drive in another 1-yard score, then added another 2-point conversion, putting the game out of reach with a 40-20 advantage. Despite Hatton’s second-half efforts, the Eagle’s defense held them for the next 5 minutes left of the game. McCrary finished with 151 rushing yards on 11 carries and caught five passes for 52 yards for Pisgah. Jeffery had 94 yards on seven carries, Gilbert added 74 yards on five carries, and Fox Tinker had 29 yards on four carries. Holcomb went 11 of 17 passing for 137 yards. Overall the Eagles rushed for 344 yards to the Hornet’s 157 rushing yards. Today Pisgah (9-2, 6-1) travels to Southeastern (10-1, 6-0) for a second-round playoff matchup in Remlap. The game will be the first time the two teams have met on the field.
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