WEST POINT, Ala. – Friday was senior night at West Point and the Warriors celebrated the occasion with their first win of the season. West Point faced off against Priceville in a regional matchup and the game was close throughout as both teams traded blows back and forth in the second half. However, the Warriors found the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with just four seconds on the clock to secure a 28-21 win over the Bulldogs and the first win of Head Coach Kevin McCravy’s tenure.
West Point got the ball to start out the game and went three-and-out. After giving up a first down, the Warrior defense forced Priceville to punt. Another punt gave the ball back to the Bulldogs. A pair of huge pass plays put Priceville at the 13, but West Point’s defense tightened up and ended up blocking a field goal attempt to keep the game scoreless. Hunter Hensley connected with Christopher Skipper for 13 yards to start out the second quarter, and a Bulldog penalty moved the ball up to the 48. A big run by Hensley, plus a 19-yard pass from Hensley to Bryant Moon, had the Warriors smelling the end zone.
They quickly went backwards after that and ended up turning the ball over on downs. The defense forced the first turnover of the game on the first play, as Noah Bryan picked off a Priceville pass and returned it to the 27. On a second down from the 33, Hensley found Moon for 17 yards and a first down, then a holding penalty on the Bulldogs put the ball at the seven. Two plays later, Ollie Howell punched it in from three yards out to give West Point a 7-0 lead with 6:13 remaining in the first half.
Priceville answered right back on its next series. A 43-yard pass play on second down quickly put them at the seven and scored three plays later on a one-yard run to tie it up at seven with 3:38 left until halftime. After a run on the second play, a huge penalty on the Bulldogs had West Point at the 48. The biggest play of the series came two plays later, as Hensley connected with Moon for a 43-yard pass, and that put the ball at the four. A penalty backed them up to the 10, but Hensley found a hole on the left side and scored from 10 yards out to give the Warriors a 14-7 lead with less than a minute to go until the break. The defense got one more stop before the half, and West Point took a 14-7 lead into the locker room.
Priceville pounded the ball on the ground to start out the third quarter and mixed in a couple of big pass plays as well, but the Warrior defense slowed them down after that, as they ended up stopping them on fourth down. Penalties hurt West Point on its opening series, and they were forced to punt. Despite giving up multiple first downs, the defense forced the Bulldogs to turn the ball over on downs once again. After getting a first down, the Warrior offense stalled, and they were forced to punt once again.
Priceville’s passing game hurt West Point on its next series, as a 37-yard pass put them at the 19. They ended up scored on an eight-yard run to tie the game up at 14 with 7:57 remaining in the game. The fun was just beginning for both teams. Howell broke free for a 28-yard gain on first down on the next series. Later on in the drive, Hensley found Cooper Howard for 15 yards and another first down. A Hensley 11-yard run put the ball at the one, and Howell scored on the next play to give the Warriors a 21-14 lead with 4:53 remaining in the contest.
On the second play of its series, a 40-yard run on second down had Priceville at the 23. Later on in the drive, a huge 24-yard pass play on fourth down kept their dreams alive. Three plays later, a four-yard score tied the game up once more at 21 with 1:21 left to go in the game. The Warriors had the ball at the 27 with a chance to win the game late. On third down, Hensley connected with Skipper for 12 yards and a first down. On the next play, Hensley found Moon for 20 yards, and three plays later, Hensley kept it himself for 10 yards and another first down at the 24. Hensley spiked the ball with 11 seconds left.
The play of the game happened on the next snap when Hensley threw a pass to Moon in the end zone and he fought off a Bulldog defender to score the touchdown and give the Warriors a 28-21 lead with four seconds left. Priceville tried to keep its chances of tying the game up alive on the kickoff, but the Warriors ended up recovering the ball to end the game and West Point (1-5, 1-2) found its way into the win column for the first time this season with a 28-21 win over the Bulldogs.
Hensley finished 9/13 for 176 yards and the game-winning touchdown for the Warriors; he also added 54 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Moon had six receptions for 136 yards and a score. Howell added 79 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Bryan recovered a fumble for West Point.
The Warriors will hit the road for their next regional matchup at East Limestone next week.
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