Football Holds on for a 42-39 Victory at Limestone
The Lions’ football squad held on for a 42-39 victory on the road at Limestone Saturday night.
GAFFNEY, S.C. – The Lions' football squad held on for a 42-39 victory on the road at Limestone Saturday night. The game was played at W.K. Brumbach Stadium. Both teams took their season record to 2-1 on the season.
Mars Hill accumulated 508 yards of total offense, 344 yards passing and 164 yards rushing. Jamel Harbison rushed for 177 yards on 31 carries averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He recorded two rushing scores. Gilbert Johnson caught nine passes for 181 yards receiving and one touchdown. Craig Rucker caught seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Rucker also rushed for another score. David Salmon completed 18-29 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns. Robert Morgan, Jr., and Ricky Hawks led the Lions defense with six tackles apiece. Jerjuan Edwards added four tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
Ivan Corbin threw for 234 yards completing 20-44 passes and two touchdown passes. Vyncint Smith was on the receiving end of six of Corbin's passes for 119 yards and two scores. CJ Blackmon and Joshua Simmons led the Saints defense with 13 and 12 tackles in the loss, respectively. Both Blackmon and Simmons each recorded an interception in the contest.
After limestone botched a punt attempt early in the game, Mars Hill got the ball on the Saints two yardline. On the Lions' first possession, Craig Rucker dove in from two yards out to give MHU a 7-0 lead with 13:09 left in the first quarter.
PJ Brown picked off a David Salmon pass and returned it 75 yards for the Saints first score to tie the contest at 7-7 with 2:25 left in the first period. Salmon responded by hitting Gilbert Johnson on a 69-yard touchdown strike with 0:55 left in the first quarter to give Mars Hill the lead back, 14-7.
Salmon had another long scoring play to end the scoring in the first half when he connected with Rucker on a 69-yard touchdown pass with 9:31 left in the first half. The Lions carried a 21-7 lead into the locker room at the intermission.
A Jerjuan Edwards fumble recovery at the Limestone 21-yardline setup Rucker's third score of the game. On third and goal from the Saints four yardline, Salmon hit Rucker in the endzone to extend the Lions' lead to 28-7 with 10:32 left in the third stanza.
A 24-yard pass reception from Ivan Corbin to Vyncint Smith setup a two-yard touchdown rush for Ga'Quan Maize that trimmed the Saints deficit to 14 points (28-14) with 7:14 left in the third quarter. Limestone's secondary answered again trimming the Lions' lead to just seven points (28-21) when Joshua Simmons picked off Salmon at the MHU 35-yardline and ran the interception back for a touchdown with 5:41 left in the third quarter.
Logan Ard nailed a 31-yard field goal with 13:35 left in the fourth quarter to bring the Saints within four points (28-24) of the Lions. Mars Hill's offense answered with a 12-play, 90-yard drive that spanned 3:34 to lead 35-24 after Jamel Harbison found the endzone on a five-yard rush with 9:55 left in the contest.
On the Saints' next possession, Corbin found with Smith for a 44-yard touchdown completion with 8:34 on the clock. The duo connected again on the two-point conversion to bring Limestone within three points (35-32) of the Lions.
An 11-yard touchdown rush by Harbison with 3:10 left in regulation sealed the win for the Lions. After Tyler Stewart's PAT kick sailed through the uprights, Mars Hill led 42-32. Corbin hit Smith for a two-yard touchdown pass with 41 ticks left but that was as close as the Saints would get as the Lions left Gaffney with a 42-39 victory.
Mars Hill will open South Atlantic Conference play next week at Carson-Newman on Saturday, September 24.