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By Paul Lunsford, Contributing Writer

One of the oldest football rivals in the state added to its history of showdowns on Friday.

The visiting Harlan Green Dragons took a 14-7 lead at halftime, but it was Pineville scoring two touchdowns in the second half to eliminate Harlan in the Class A playoffs in a 21-14 decision.

“I thought our defense played well the entire game,” said Pineville coach Randy Frazier.

The Lions shut down the Harlan running game, but Dragon junior quarterback Cade Middleton, a transfer from Harlan County, was a bright spot with 217 yards passing on 19 of 43.

He completed five passes each to Hayden Ward and Darius Akal while connecting with Evan Browning and Jeremiah Mills four times apiece.

Harlan head coach Eric Perry said his QB made them three touchdowns better just with his presence.

“We knew we were going to throw the ball a lot since they were so much bigger than us up front, but I don’t if I expected us to throw it that much,” he added.

Pineville junior tailback Atavius Flanary scored on a 4-yard run at the 5:32 mark of the third quarter. The two-point conversion run failed as Harlan led 14-13.

After holding the Dragons on downs, the Mountain Lions fought back.

Flanary had 10 carries in a 13-play drive and scored on a 1-yard run with 7:24 to play in the game. Flanary’s two-point conversion capped the scoring.

The Green Dragons marched the ball down the field, but an incomplete pass with six seconds remaining allowed Pineville to escape to the second round of the playoffs.

The Lions opened the scoring with 1:34 remaining in the first period as Trevor Kidd went in the from 3-yard line. Luke Naylor added the extra point.

Jonathan Lewis fell on a fumble in the end zone for a Harlan TD early in the second quarter. Middleton’s two-point conversion try failed as the Lions led 7-6.

Pineville started on its own 10-yard line, but one play, freshman quarterback Clay Teague was tackled in the end zone by Mills as Harlan took an 8-7 advantage.

The Green Dragons would find the end zone just before halftime as Middleton found Browning for a 7-yard TD pass with six seconds left on the scoreboard. Pineville blocked the extra point attempt.

“They eventually wore us down up front,” said Perry. “Our kids kept battling though. This is tough to swallow. We just came up short.”

Ward and Akal each had five receptions for HHS. Ward had 59 yards while Akal added 52. Mills had four receptions for 55 yards. Browning also caught four passes for 45 yards.

The Green Dragons were held to just 10 yards on the ground.

Triston Cochran, Lewis and Shane Lindsey each recovered fumbles for Harlan.

Lindsey and Mills led the defense with 12 tackles each. Dylan Middleton and Noah Kirby had six tackles apiece.

Flanary led the Lions ground attack with 45 yards on 16 carries. Capps also had gained 45 yards on nine rushes.

Teague completed two of four passes for 78 yards. Reese Capps was one of three for 27 yards.

Pineville played without the services of running back Devon Morris. Capps was injured early and never returned from an ankle injury.

The 5-2 Mountain Lions will travel to Williamsburg (4-2) on Friday for the District 8 championship. The Yellow Jackets shutout Lynn Camp 42-0.

Harlan end the season with a 3-3 record, including wins over East Ridge, Berea and Lynn Camp. The Dragons, who had three games canceled, fell to Pineville twice as well as Middlesboro.

Ethan Clem, Isaiah Hall, Connor Scearse, Britt Lawson, Lindsey and Mills were seniors from this year’s team and had impressive high school careers.

“Coach Perry has turned that program around,” said Frazier. “I think he’s the coach of the year, no matter what some other teams do.”