Coming in, Bo Manor probably figured it needed to score a lot of points to hang with the prolific attack of Havre de Grace, as the two UCBAC 1A powers met for the East Region championship, Friday night.
The Eagles certainly delivered plenty of offense, but in the end it was not enough as the host Warriors prevailed, 40-34, in a shootout.
The victory advances the Warriors into next Friday’s 1A state semifinals. The Eagles will host Brunswick, which downed Western Tech, 36-28, also on Friday.
In a thrilling contest for spectators, the teams went to the final quarter tied, 28-28. Bo Manor thrust in front on a six-yard touchdown run by Kyle Thompson, with 7:26 to play. Thompson, who had a 73-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, scored three times in the contest.
Havre de Grace tied the game at 34, with 4:31 to play, as Darin Washington tossed a touchdown pass to Dayshawn Bolling. The Warriors missed a two-point try, which would have put them in front, but Mike Kelly later scored the game-winning touchdown on a 30-yard run.
Kelly also scored three times in the game, including a 36-yard run in the first quarter to open the scoring. The Warriors also received a two-yard TD run from Jordan Stallings in the first stanza as they built an early 14-3 lead.
Madison Neddo kicked a 34-yard field goal for Bo Manor in the opening period and added a 32-yarder in the second quarter. Thompson’s long run closed the first half scoring and the teams went to the break tied at 14.
Early in the third quarter, Kelly gave Havre de Grace a lead with an eight-yeard run, but Bo Manor grabbed a 21-20 advantage when Neddo completed a touchdown pass to Charles Dix. A two-yard run by Thompson stretched the Eagle lead to 28-20, before Kelly scored on an 18-yard run and Washington tied it with a two-point run.
