Bartlett 38, Elgin 35

After an impressive comeback by Elgin and with overtime more than a sure bet, Bartlett kicker Andrew Reuter ended the game, allowing the Hawks to squeak by Elgin 38-35 in an Upstate Eight Conference game Friday night at Memorial Field.

With only 4.8 seconds left on the clock Reuter kicked a 40-yarder, clearing the bar by inches as the Hawks' bench erupted in joy.

"I had all the adrenaline going," Reuter said. "Once I kicked it, I knew it was good."

With momentum on the Maroons' side after coming back from a 21-point deficit to tie the game at 35 all on a 23-yard reception to James Duncan from Tom Roth with 36 ticks still on the clock, Hawks offensive coordinator Mark Williams made a gutsy call.

Quarterback Josh Hasenberg threw a 22-yard pass to Cory Brown in the middle of the field at the 30-yard line.

"I didn't want to do it but coach Williams talked me into it," said Bartlett coach Tom Meaney. "It's a good call."

With 7.5 seconds remaining, the Bartlett offense rushed to the ball to make the spike.

"I read the coverage and Cory was wide open," Hasenberg said. "We all knew we had to get up to the ball quickly."

The game looked to be a blowout early in the second half after the Hawks (4-2, 2-1) scored three unanswered touchdowns for the 35-14 lead, including 2-yard and 14-yard runs by Vinnie Libreri and a 39 yard pass to Brown.

But the Maroons (2-4, 0-3) clawed their way back scoring three unanswered touchdowns of their own as Roth threw a 75-yard pass to Jamal Cook and a 9-yard pass to Duncan.

"You got to give them all the credit in the world. They never gave up," Meaney said of the Elgin offense. "They kept us off-balance running and passing the ball well."

For the Maroons' side, assistant coach Mike Sitter felt there was nothing for his guys to be ashamed of.

"Obviously, our kids had tremendous faith and effort. Even when we were down 35-14 in the fourth, the kids kept on saying it wasn't over," Sitter said. "They're such a great group of kids. There's no reason for them to put their heads down."Â Â Â Â Â