Huntingdon football stumbles at LaGrange

LaGRANGE, Ga. – The Huntingdon football team came up short Saturday night in a key USA South Athletic Conference game.

The Hawks led by 16 points in the fourth quarter before LaGrange scored 20 points in the final 10 minutes for a 44-40 win. The defeat was the first conference loss for the Hawks (4-2, 2-1 USA South) and just the second loss to LaGrange (3-3, 3-1) in eight meetings. Huntingdon had won four straight against the Panthers.

LaGrange scored on a 2-yard run by Shaqualm McCoy with 57 seconds to play to take the lead. Huntingdon got the ball back at its own 9-yard line, but LaGrange ended the game with a sack at the Hawks' 22-yard line.

Huntingdon finished the game with 680 yards of offense, the fourth-highest total in program history, and averaged 7.5 yards per play on 91 plays. LaGrange finished with 533 yards on 68 plays for an average of 7.8 yards per play.

Huntingdon quarterbacks Ryne Taylor and Taylor Hughes combined for 441 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Ryne Taylor completed 10-of-22 passes for 246 yards and threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Austin Bennett and a 52-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Belsterling.

Hughes completed 12-of-18 passes for 195 yards, was picked off once and completed scoring passes to Jamichael Bibb (29 yards) and Brantley Carr (12 yards). Hughes also rushed for 75 yards on 12 carries.

Bennett rushed for 115 yards on 22 carries and had two receptions for 69 yards and Garrett Fletcher rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown. Belsterling finished with nine catches for 168 yards.

David Ballard was 2-for-3 on field goals and 4-for-5 on extra points. Ballard kicked a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give Huntingdon a 40-24 lead with 12:17 to play.

LaGrange quarterback Graham Craig finished with 420 yards, five touchdowns and an interception on 24-of-36 passing.

Linebacker John-David Swiger led Huntingdon with 11 tackles and a forced fumble. Defensive back Anthony White had seven tackles and linebacker Zach Brownell finished with six tackles and an interception.

Blake Lawley, Drew Wheeler, Jacob Wright and Walker Lewis each recorded sacks for Huntingdon. Darius Dixon forced one fumble and recovered one fumble and Jeremy Murphy recovered one fumble.

Huntingdon hosts North Carolina Wesleyan on Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.