HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Hanover Hawks battled back from a 19-point deficit to beat the Atlee Raiders in their Friday night matchup.
The Raiders scored early, up 13-0 with approximately eight minutes left before halftime. That lead only grew during the second quarter.
With roughly five minutes on the clock, Andrew Stevens handed off to Caleb Warren who ran the ball into the end zone for the Raiders. But there was a flag on the play. The holding call would negate Atlee’s third touchdown of the game.
However, less than two minutes later, the Raiders scored again, and this time, they made it count. Stevens handed the ball off to Eric Rankin, who plowed through the Hawks’ defensive line, putting the away team up 19-0.
Back from the second half, Hanover showed they were not going to back down. The Hawks scored first with approximately 10 minutes on the clock. Heavily marked, sophomore Brandon Elrod leaped up to meet the pass from junior Joshua Smithson in the air, securing it with one hand in the end zone.
The Hawks then set up for a field goal, but it turned out to be a two-point conversion attempt. The pass was swatted away and Hanover settled for six points.
With 9:53 remaining in the game, the Raiders made a 35-yard field goal to put another three points on the board. That increased their lead to 22-6, but those are all the points the Hawks would allow for the rest of regulation.
Not to be outdone at home, Hanover scored another 20 points before the end of the night, earning the win, 26-22.