TEXARKANA, Texas -- Another two-point win for Liberty-Eylau.
After falling behind Atlanta on their first possession, L-E rallied and then held on to defeat the Rabbits, 16-14, at Harris Field Friday evening.
L-E defeated Mount Pleasant last week, 14-12.
The Leopards remain undefeated at 4-0, while Atlanta falls to 3-1 on the season.
This was the 19th meeting between the schools with L-E holding a 14-5 advantage.
Atlanta got a big break on the opening kickoff when L-E fumbled and the Rabbits took over at the Leopards' 30-yard line.
Six plays later, Stacy Darty scored on a 3-yard run and the extra point made it 7-0.
L-E then marched downfield from its 44-yard line to the Rabbits 7.
Three straight penalties pushed the Leopards back to the 25.
On third down, Jaydin Hampton's pass was intercepted on the 1-yard line by Dimoree Limbrick.
Near the end of the first half, Atlanta took over at its 6-yard line. Instead of just trying to run out the clock with two runs, Peyton Harrison fell down in the end zone for a two-point safety.
After the safety, L-E took over in the final minute at the Rabbits' 47-yard line, and quickly scored on a 16-yard pass from Hampton to Dequane Prevo with just two seconds left for an 8-7 lead at halftime.
It didn't take long for the Leopards to score in the second half when W.T. Jones intercepted a pass and went 25 yards for the score. Greg London ran for the two-point conversion and a 16-7 advantage.
Early in the fourth quarter, Atlanta drove down to the Leopards' 4-yard line, but an 11-yard loss pushed them back to the 15.
Two plays later, a 27-yard field goal by Juan Campos was wide.
With 4:16 left in the game, Atlanta took over at its 34-yard line.
A screen pass from Harrison to Kameron Dickerson resulted in a 66-yard scoring play to bring the score to 16-14 with 3:53 left in the game.
L-E again fumbled a kickoff, and Atlanta returned the miscue to the 15-yard line.
The L-E defense held, and another Atlanta field attempt failed, and L-E held on for the victory.
Liberty-Eylau relied on short passes for most of the game with Hampton completing 17 of 26 passes for 105 yards.
Greg London was the leading rusher for L-E with 58 yards on 12 attempts.
With the help of the 66-yard touchdown toss, Harrison completed five passes for 106 yards.
Liberty-Eylau fullback W.T. Jones attempts to get around an Atlanta defender on Friday, Sept. 17, 2022, at Harris Field in Texarkana, Texas. (Photo by Kevin Sutton)
Liberty-Eylau running back DeCorrius Beasley dives for extra yardage against Atlanta on Friday, Sept. 17, 2022, at Harris Field in Texarkana, Texas. (Photo by Kevin Sutton)