The Harlan County Black Bears watched victory slip away in the final minute on Friday in a 28-22 setback at the hands of host Whitley County.

Trailing 22-21 with less than two minutes remaining in the game, the Colonels appeared to score the go-ahead touchdown with under a minute to play on a pass from Chris Cureton to Dee Parker. The play was nullified due to a Whitley County penalty. Following two incomplete passes, and facing a 4th-and-15 situation, Cureton ran around the right side en route to a 19-yard gain. Parker sprinted straight up the middle on the ensuing play and the 16-yard scoring run with 22.5 seconds remaining effectively sealed the Black Bears’ fate.

Harlan County freshman quarterback Brayden Morris ran for two touchdowns, passed for another, and his two-point conversion run staked the Black Bears to their short-lived lead with 1:37 left on the scoreboard clock.

Black Bears junior kicker Jayce Brown recovered an onside kick to open the game, and Morris engineered a 15-play, 53-yard drive that spanned eight minutes, 26 seconds and was culminated on his 3-yard TD sprint.

Whitley County answered immediately with a 52-yard march that was capped on an 8-yard run by Parker.

Parker, who entered the game with 413 rushing yards through the Colonels’ first two games, was held in-check for the balance of the first half thanks to a gritty, aggressive effort by the Harlan County defense.

With time running out in the first half, senior Luke Kelly intercepted a Cureton pass to set up the Black Bears at their own 40-yard line with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter.

A clutch 20-yard run by junior Gage Bailey set the stage for a 37-yard scoring pass from Morris to Kelly two plays later and the Black Bears led, 14-7 at the intermission.

After the Colonels stymied Harlan County to open the second half, Parker rushed for 49 of his game-high 140 yards during Whitley County’s ensuing 77-yard drive that spanned eight plays. Senior Aaron Rowe’s 8-yard scoring run tied the game at 14-14 with 5:39 remaining in the third quarter.

A costly fumble on the Black Bears’ next possession set up a nine-play, 58-yard march by the Colonels that featured a key run of 22 yards by senior Gary Elmore and a 2-yard scoring run by Parker.

Harlan County sophomore Isaiah Cornet recovered a fumble with just over five minutes remaining in the game to set up Morris and the Black Bears at their own 31-yard line.

Morris completed two passes during the drive, and the Black Bears got a pivotal 15-yard run from Brown to punch inside the red zone of the Colonels.

Two plays later, Morris’ 12-yard scoring scamper and his conversion run staked the Black Bears to the lead, and set the stage for the dramatic final moments of the game.

Kelly led the Black Bears’ rushing attack with 60 yards on nine carries, and was on the receiving end of two Morris passes, good for another 46 yards.

Harlan County senior James Ryan Howard was held to 41 rushing yards on 11 carries, and the Black Bears amassed 188 yards via the overland route.

Morris completed three of his 11 pass attempts for 53 yards.

Whitley County (2-1) also got 76 rushing yards on nine carries by Cureton and tallied 274 rushing yards for the game.

The two teams combined for nearly 200 yards in penalties.

Harlan County (1-2) hosts Clay County on Friday.