When the going got tough, Middlesboro quarterback Cayden Grigsby got going, finishing with four rushing touchdowns, and one passing touchdown to lead his Yellow Jackets to a 41-38 win over Pineville.
Mountain Lion quarterback Sawyer Thompson also turned in a stellar effort, throwing two touchdowns while running for two scores as well.
The win improved Middlesboro to 6-3 while Pineville losses its third straight game and fell to 7-3.
The Yellow Jackets will host Prestonsburg next week during first round action of the Class 2A playoffs while Pineville will travel to play Hazard during first round action of the Class A playoffs.
On Friday, Middlesboro took advantage of a Pineville breakdown on defense as Cayden Grigsby raced 18 yards to give his team a 7-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Mountain Lions got on the scoreboard with 10:10 left in the second quarter as Sawyer Thompson connected with Evan Biliter with a 29-yard touchdown pass. Pineville added the two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead.
Grigsby out his team back out in front with his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 16-yarder, as the Yellow Jackets found themselves ahead, 13-8, with 5:12 remaining in the second quarter.
Middlesboro managed to extend its lead with a score, as Grigsby completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Kam Wilson, pushing its lead to 20-8 with 19 seconds left in the first half.
The 19 seconds were way more than what Pineville needed to score.
A 71-yard touchdown pass from Landon Robbins to Luke Akers cut the Mountain Lions’ deficit to 20-16 entering halftime.
The Yellow Jackets regained a double-digit lead in the second half as a 30-yard touchdown run by Vincent Smith one minute into the third quarter gave his team a 27-16 advantage.
The two teams continued to trade scores.
Thompson’s one-yard touchdown run with 8:42 left in the third quarter made the score, 27-24 while a one-yard touchdown run by Grigsby increased Middlesboro’s lead to 34-24 at the 6:40 mark.
Pineville answered with a nine-yard touchdown pass from Thompson to Biliter, cutting the Mountain Lions’ deficit to 34-32 at the 4:04 mark of the third quarter.
Grigsby added a seven-yard touchdown run with 1:04 left in the third quarter to make the score, 41-32.
Thompson scored on a one-yard run, drawing Pineville close at 41-38, with 6:52 left in the game but the Mountain Lions couldn’t get any closer.
