[More Cowbell]

Wow, what an ending.  Shelby Valley did everything in their power to give this game away, but got the final stop when they needed it.

The first half was sloppy by both teams.  SV had the ball deep in Hazard territory 3 times, but was stopped on 4th down twice, and also threw an interception.  Their only score was on a pick-six.  Hazard, on the other hand, struggled to move the ball at all, but scored on a 52 yard pass when the Valley CB fell down.  All in all, a first half both teams would rather forget.

The second half started out much better for the Wildcats.  They would march down the field and take their first lead on a 4th down touchdown pass.  After stopping the Bulldogs, Valley ended a long drive with another touchdown, and held a 20-7 lead with just over 8 minutes to go.

The last 8 minutes would belong to Hazard, though, more specifically to their passing game.  SV had stonewalled Hazard's rushing attack all night long, so they finally decided to attack through the air.  A quick score on a long pass would cut the lead to 20-14.  Valley then methodically marched back down and took a seeming insurmountable lead, 28-14, with only about a couple minutes to go.  But Hazard moved quickly down the field again, and scored on another long pass to cut the lead to 28-21.  The wildcats committed a brain fart by roughing the kicker on the extra point, putting the kickoff on the SV side of the field already.  Despite knowing the onside was coming, Valley was unable to secure the ball, giving Hazard another chance with about 30 seconds on the clock.  After a few plays that only gained a few yards, the Bulldogs faced a 4th down with only 7 seconds left to go.  Amazingly, Hazard was able to hit on another TD throw as the buzzer sounded.

Even though everyone assumed that this game would be decided in overtime, Hazard's coach had no intention of this game lasting any longer.  The game would be decided on a 2-point conversion, and with the way Valley's pass defense had looked for the past 8 minutes, it seemed like a smart decision.  However, SV managed to knock down the potential game-winning pass, and the ballgame ended.

Great game to both sides, and good luck to all in the playoffs.  Go Cats!