Harlan County and Clay County played a pair of games down to the wire Thursday in middle school football action in Manchester.
The Black Bears won 8-6 in the seventh-grade game as Sam Carr scored on a 4-yard run in the second quarter and Ashton Anderson followed with the two-point conversion. Clay answered on the following drive but missed the two-point conversion. Neither team scored in the second half,.
Allen Roark recovered a pair of Clay fumbles, one in the third quarter and another in the fourth. Carr led the Harlan County defense with five tackles. Hudson Faulkner, Ryland Thomas and Anderson added two each.
Carr led the offense with 60 yards on 11 carries. Colby Shepherd had one carry for 20 yards and two receptions for 18 yards. Anderson had five carries for 18 yards and one reception for 14 yards.
Dyson Freeman completed three of seven passes for 32 yards and one interception.
Clay County scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to rally for a 30-24 win in the eighth-grade game.
Brayden Morris led the Bears with 106 yards on 11 carries before going out with an injury before halftime. Landon Brock completed eight of 16 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Braydon Middleton had three catches for 88 yards. Isaiah Cornett added four catches for eight yards and 33 yards rushing on 10 carries. Kayden Adams had one catch for 28 yards.
Cornett led in tackles with five, including one for a loss. Middleton had three tackles and Carr added one.
Clay took an early 8-0 lead before Morris raced 60 yards for a touchdown and Cornett added the two-point conversion to tie the game.
Brock teamed with Anderson for a 28-yard touchdown as the Bears took a 14-8 lead.
Clay went on top with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
Cornett went in from the 10 as the Bears moved ahead 18-16.
Brock found Cornett for an 8-yard TD as the Bears’ lead grew to 24-16.
After a scoreless third quarter, Clay pulled even with a touchdown and two-point conversion. Clay scored the winning touchdown on a 2-yard run with three seconds left.
The Harlan County sixth-grade team plays host to North Laurel on Tuesday. The seventh- and eighth-grade teams play North Laurel at home on Thursday.