[Stardust]

It was backups who took center stage for Elder and Highlands on Friday night and it was Highlands junior backup quarterback Donovan McCoy who stole the show.

McCoy, playing in place of senior standout Patrick Towles, who suffered a head injury early in the first quarter and didn’t return, completed 11 of 26 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, including a 58-yard touchdown pass to junior David Christian with 10:14 left that broke a 27-27 tie as Highlands went on to win, 34-29, at The Pit.

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It’s Highlands’ first win over Elder in five games dating back to 1999.

Elder (2-7) was playing short-handed due to missing multiple players who had been suspended earlier in the week for the season's final two games due to a violation of team rules, according to the Elder athletic department. It’s unclear how many of those were starters.

Towles, who has committed to the University of Kentucky and entered Friday’s game having completed 103 of 158 passes for 2,376 yards, 30 touchdowns and only one interception, played only the first series and accounted for all 68 yards (52 passing and 12 rushing) of a game-opening touchdown drive. He capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run, but suffered a blow to his head when he dove into the end zone.

McCoy, who is expected to be the starting quarterback next season, but had primarily played wide receiver this season, entered the game having caught more passes (19) than he had thrown (seven).

“It was absolutely tremendous what he did,” said Highlands coach Dale Mueller. “We had not practiced him enough at quarterback. We haven’t practiced him enough in practice so we really put him in a bind. He just has such poise and character. He is just a man in the truest sense of the word. He is such a great role model. He was a guy you would expect to do that.”

McCoy, a left-hander who completed just 1 of his first 7 pass attempts, said when he was summoned to replace Towles he recalled the 2009 season when Towles replaced injured starter Will Bardo and led the Bluebirds to a 12-7 upset of Cincinnati St. Xavier.

“I didn’t think I would be playing quarterback and I had direct flashbacks to St. X when Pat got in it was kind of scary,” said McCoy, who also rushed for a team-high 56 yards on 15 carries. “It took me a couple of series to get warmed up.”

With Towles on the bench, Elder rallied to build a 17-7 lead with 4:11 left in the first half on two touchdown passes from junior quarterback Josh Moore, who started for the Panthers. Moore finished the game 18 of 37 passing for 182 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Highlands (9-0), which had won its first eight games this season by an average margin of 52.1 points, rallied for two touchdowns in the final 2:27 of the half to take a 21-17 halftime. McCoy ran eight yards for one touchdown and then passed four yards to senior Austin Sheehan for the other. Sheehan finished with seven receptions for 193 yards.

After Elder closed within 21-20 on Sam Williams’ 29-yard field goal a little over three minutes into the third quarter, Highlands’ Carter New answered with a 40-yard field goal with 4:11 left in the quarter to push the Highlands lead to 24-20.

Elder then got a defensive touchdown when McCoy was sacked in the end zone, fumbled and senior Stephen Robben fell on it in the end zone making it 27-24 Panthers.

Highlands tied it at 27-27 early in the fourth quarter when New made a 27-yard field goal.

The Bluebirds then forced a three-and-out and took over on their own 42-yard line. On the first play, McCoy hit Christian running free deep down the middle of the field for the touchdown.

“We had drawn it up where we switched the routes,” said McCoy. “The short side was running what the wide side was running and the plan was Dave, who was my main receiver last year on JV, I know how he runs his routes and the safety came up and he ran right by the defense.”

Elder closed within 34-29 with 5:42 left when it blocked a Highlands punt in the end zone that the Bluebirds were able to fall on.

The Panthers went three-and-out though, punted and Highlands was able to run out the clock.

“They were missing a bunch of guys, but a win’s a win and that’s what we were looking for,” said McCoy. “We’ve been getting ready for his game since December last year.”

Said Mueller: “There’s no excuses. We wouldn’t have made any excuses with Pat out. You line up and play the game and you have to do it.”