MADISON — Brookhaven stopped Madison Central on a two-point conversion as time expired Friday night, preserving a 45-44 victory in The Jungle.
Madison Central quarterback Tripp Smith found Landon Hathorn for a 10-yard touchdown pass on the final play, cutting the sixth-ranked Panthers’ lead to 45-44. The Jaguars’ jet sweep on the conversion was stuffed in the backfield, sealing Brookhaven’s 3-0 start.
“That was a great ending to a game between two great teams fighting all the way to the end,” Brookhaven coach Darien Dorsey said. “Our guys get pushed so much, so every time adversity hits us, we challenge them to play the next play, and at the end that is what we did. What a great game.”
Brookhaven led 31-10 at halftime. Madison Central answered with 28 unanswered points in the second half to take a 38-31 lead. Smith threw two touchdown passes, Jack Brunini scored on a 1-yard run and Jayden Terry’s 26-yard run put the Jaguars ahead with 5:28 left in the fourth quarter.
Brookhaven tied it 16 seconds later on Jaden Allen’s 28-yard run. Reece McNulty then returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown with 2:54 remaining, giving the Panthers a 45-38 lead.
Madison Central drove 60 yards in 13 plays on its final possession. On fourth down, Smith scrambled to buy time and hit Hathorn in the front of the end zone from 10 yards out as time expired.
“For us it was how bad did you want to stop them on the last play, and our guys came through and ended up winning it,” Dorsey said. “We had to be able to match their energy and intensity, and our kids did that. I am proud of them. Jaden is our guy and he did whatever it took to win and I’m so proud of him. This was high school football at its finest and glad our kids got the experience.”
Allen rushed for 118 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns and passed for 80 yards and two scores for Brookhaven.
“Two good teams going at it,” Allen said. “We wanted it more in the first half and they gave it back to us in the second half, and at the end of the day it was who worked the most is going to win it. I just had to make plays with my legs and do whatever it takes. This feels amazing. We knew it was going to be a dogfight and we had to come up here and handle business. It was a great game by both teams.”
Smith passed for 277 yards and three touchdowns for Madison Central (1-2).
