Just when it seemed the Hays Rebels were going to pull a victory from the jaws of defeat Sept. 7, the Georgetown Eagles swiped the glory instead.
Two late fourth quarter touchdowns scored in less than two minutes ushered the Eagles to a come-from-behind 35-28 win over Hays in a thrilling non-district affair at Birkelbach Stadium.
Hays struggled at times to halt the combination of Georgetown senior quarterback Cooper Bell and senior wide receiver Caden Leggett. Bell went 21 of 33 for 341 yards and five total touchdowns, while Leggett finished with 238 receiving yards on eight receptions and three scores.
Georgetown’s duo hooked up on two separate occasions in the first half, the latter of which was a 29-yard second quarter touchdown pass that came on a 4th and 22 play. Georgetown held a 14-3 lead with roughly ten minutes left before halftime.
Faced with a deficit, Hays’ defense responded by grounding Georgetown’s offense over the next 14-plus minutes of play. Pressure from Hays’ defensive front and linebacking crew halted Bell’s productivity. In the defensive backfield, the team “just started playing a little better in the back end,” Rebel head coach Neal LaHue said.
“We were covering people and not letting the guy go down the field wide open,” LaHue said. “We made some adjustments there and played better.”
The Rebel offense found its groove in the second quarter and rallied to tie the game 14-14 at halftime.
Hays snagged the lead for the first time via a 23-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Xavier Martinez to senior wide receiver Gentry Brawith.
After Georgetown responded with a touchdown to start the fourth quarter, Martinez found Brawith for a 32-yard strike, giving Hays a 28-21 lead with 3:50 left in the game.
LaHue lauded Martinez, who he said was a “steady kid” with a great arm and who took care of the football. Hays’ game plan was to play three quarterbacks in the game, but he stuck with Martinez based on the climate of the game.
“You just feel for kids when that happens ... The guy made a hell of a kick, it got in between two people and it was just a lack of communications. We have to do a better job of coaching at that point.” Neal Lahue, Rebel football coach
A strong Georgetown defensive front forced the Rebels to throw the ball more often than in their first contest. Hays’ rushing attack was limited to only 135 yards.
Georgetown, however, didn’t back down and fought right back. It began the climb by retying the game via a 53-yard touchdown pass from Bell to Leggett, who caught the ball with only one hand.
The Eagles became beneficiaries of a Rebel miscue on the ensuing kickoff. A short kick fell between two Rebel players and was then recovered by Georgetown deep in Rebel territory.
LaHue said miscommunication led to the miscue, even though the team worked on fielding short kickoffs in practice.
“You just feel for kids when that happens,” LaHue said. “The guy made a hell of a kick, it got in between two people and it was just a lack of communications. We have to do a better job of coaching at that point.”
Bell took advantage of the short field and ran in a four-yard go-ahead touchdown run with less than two minutes left in the game.
Hays sought for a last-minute response, but a potential game-tying drive ended in an interception.
Despite the close loss, LaHue said his team might have gathered a needed moral victory as they prepare for a grueling eight-week stretch.
“Even though in a loss, hopefully we gained some confidence that we can play with anyone,” LaHue said. “But we have to get over the hump and win one of these.”
