A lightning delay that lasted over an hour didn’t slow Dudley Hilton’s Bell County Bobcats down during their 43-35 win over North Laurel on Log Mountain on Friday.
The Bobcats (1-0) were able to build a 23-7 first half lead and never look back. They led 43-21 before the Jaguars (0-1) attempted to rally late, scoring two touchdowns.
Bell County’s Daniel Thomas scored on an 18-yard touchdown run while Ethan Raby added the two point conversion to give their team an early 8-0 lead with 5:25 remaining in the first quarter.
North Laurel responded with Tucker Warren’s seven-yard touchdown pass to Jack Chappell to make the score, 8-7, five minutes later but then it was all Bobcats.
Dawson Woolum recovered a loose ball in the end zone that gave his team a 15-7 advantage with 6:37 remaining in the first half while Blake Burnett’s 11-yard touchdown pass to George Pace increased Bell County’s lead to 23-7 at halftime.
Warren added a three-yard touchdown run, cutting North Laurel’s deficit to 23-15 with 7:14 left in the third quarter but another touchdown runs by Ethan Raby (one-yard), and Daniel Thomas (two-yards) gave the Bobcats a 37-15 cushion with 8:32 remaining in regulation.
A five-yard touchdown run by Warren made the score 37-21 while Woolum added a seven-yard score, giving Bell County a 43-21 lead with 3:35 left.
North Laurel never quit as Warren hit Chappell with a 59-yard touchdown pass while Warren added a 15-yard touchdown run with 1:47 left to cap off the scoring.
