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By Bill Templeton
Sports Writer
Something had to give Friday night at East Ridge High School Stadium.
In a battle between two winless teams, the host Warriors scored a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the game to escape with a 26-22 victory over Harlan.
Coming into the game, the two teams had combined to score just 38 points for the season.
On Friday night, the Green Dragons and Warriors combined for 42 points in the second quarter, alone, and Harlan led, 22-20 at halftime.
East Ridge opened the scoring on the first play of the second quarter when sophomore Talon Hopkins took the handoff on a misdirection play and ran untouched for a 17-yard touchdown.
Harlan answered on the ensuing drive. Sophomore Jonah Sharp’s 31-yard run on the Green Dragons’ first play of the march set up his team at the Warriors’ 28-yard line, and four plays later senior Darius Akal ambled into the end zone from 2 yards out.
Back came the Warriors. A 25-yard run by senior quarterback Keaton Puckett made it first-and-goal at the Harlan 3-yard line, and two plays later Puckett scored from that spot. Puckett’s two-point conversion pass to Hopkins made it 14-6.
It took the Green Dragons just two plays to reach pay dirt, again. A 44-yard pass from junior quarterback Baylor Varner to junior Connor Daniels left Harlan just short of the goal line, and Akal capped the march with a 1-yard TD. Akal also added the conversion run to tie the score.
Not to be outdone, East Ridge needed just three plays on the ensuing drive to retake the lead. A 47-yard run by Hopkins set up a 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line, and Aaron Addington rumbled into the end zone on the next play to make it 20-14.
With time running out in the second quarter, and facing a 4th-and-10 situation, Harlan junior Sedrick Washington took a handoff and sprinted 30 yards for a touchdown. Washington added the two-point conversion run to stake the visitors to a lead at intermission.
After failing to slow down a Warriors rushing attack that amassed more than 200 yards in the first half, the Harlan defense thwarted East Ridge on four straight downs inside the 10-yard line and took over at its own 1-yard line.
Two plays into the drive, Sharp electrified the Harlan contingent of fans with a dazzling 94-yard TD run, but the play was nullified by a penalty.
After the drive stalled, Akal’s punt was partially blocked and the Warriors took over at the Harlan 9-yard line.
Once again, a stout defensive effort by the Green Dragons’ defensive corps stymied the Warriors and kept them out of the end zone for a second consecutive time.
Harlan was forced to punt on its next possession, but the Green Dragons’ defense again stood tall and forced a quick-kick punt by East Ridge.
On the return, the ball was fumbled and recovered by East Ridge. Eight plays into the ensuing possession, Hopkins scored his second touchdown of the game, this time on a 31-yard run.
With 1:53 remaining on the scoreboard clock, an onside kick by East Ridge took an unlucky bounce, at least for the Dragons, and into the arms of a Warriors player.
A 13-yard run by Puckett set up the host team at the Harlan 34-yard line, and the Warriors ran out the clock.
Harlan will play host to Pineville on Friday in the opening district game for both teams.

East Ridge 26, Harlan 22
Harlan 0 22 0 0 — 22
East Ridge 0 20 0 6 — 26
ER — Hopkins 17 run (pass failed)
H — Akal 2 run (run failed)
ER — Puckett 3 run (Hopkins pass from Puckett)
H — Akal 1 run (Akal run)
ER — Addington 3 run (pass failed)
H —Washington 30 run (Washington run)
ER — Hopkins 31 run (run failed)