Late Comeback Lifts Football Over Shorter

ROME, Ga. – The Lions' football team picked up a big win on the road at Shorter Thursday night, 41-30. After an hour long lightening delay in the fourth quarter, Mars Hill outscored the Hawks 15-0 to leave Rome, Ga., with the victory. The Lions improved to 1-1 on the year while Shorter fell to 0-2 on the season. The game was televised live on CSS-TV and ESPN 3.

Shaikel Davis rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns while Dimitri Holmes caught nine passes (two catches shy of his own school record) for 224 yards and the same number of touchdowns to pace the Lions offensively. Trent Miller was 18-29 for 336 yards and four touchdown passes. Sammy Siasia led the Lions' defense with 13 tackles (9 solo). Troy Harris had 10 stops (5 solo) and a sack. Johnny Maxey had nine tackles (4 solo) and a sack.

Eric Dodson rushed for 186 yards and threw for 132 yards to lead the Hawks offense. Roderick Jones caught two passes for 91 yards and one touchdown. Dominique Henfield led Shorter's defense with nine tackles.

Eric Dodson took the first play from scrimmage and scampered 55 yards to put Shorter on the board just 21 seconds into the game. Shaikel Davis then ran in from 12 yards out with 12:26 left in the first quarter. A 32-yard field goal by Guy Hunt and a one-yard dive into the endzone by Bradley Moon gave the Hawks a 16-7 lead after the first frame.

Trent Miller hit Dimitri Holmes on a 66 yard pass play to bring the Lions within two points (14-16) of Shorter with 13:56 left in the first half. Dodson then found Roderick Jones on a 48-yard touchdown strike to extend the Hawks lead to 23-14 with 7:37 left in the second quarter. That was all the scoring the first half would see.

Miller hit Jeremy Hughes on an 18-yard touchdown pass to bring the Lions within three points (20-23) of the Hawks with 9:08 left in the third stanza. Sean Fowler found the endzone from six yards out at the 14:02 mark of the fourth quarter to extend Shorter's advantage to 30-20. Two minutes later (11:59) Holmes hauled in a 54-yard pass from Miller to make the score 26-30 after a failed PAT pass attempt. The teams were sent to the locker rooms after this scoring drive due to lightening in the area. The delay last around an hour.

After the game was resumed, the turning point of the contest came with 8:44 left in regulation after linebacker Chamarcus Pittard came up with a loose ball on the Hawks 21 yard line. Two plays later Miller and Hughes connected again on a 24-yard scoring pass play. After a successful PAT kick by Victor Yurco, the Lions took their first lead of the game (33-30) with 7:59 on the clock. That score would later prove to be the game winner.

The Lions' defense stifled the Hawks on their next two possessions and after a punt pinned MHU on their own two yard line, Miller threw a perfect 40-yard pass to Holmes on third and five from the Lions seven yard line. Two plays later Davis ran 47 yards for a touchdown to seal the win for MHU. After a successful PAT pass from Miller to Foluke Gordon-Lamar, the Lions led 41-30 with 1:50 left in the contest.

Mars Hill will open SAC play on September 28, when they compete at Newberry at 6 p.m.