In a battle that many anticipated might swing the balance of the Bay Valley Athletic League football landscape, the Freedom High football team outlasted host Pittsburg 49-48 on Friday. <\/p>\n
A blocked PAT kick by Darrell Daniels with 3:30 left in the game proved the difference. <\/p>\n
\"I just went all out and dove and the ball hit my helmet,\" said Daniels, who had 143 yards from scrimmage and scored twice. <\/p>\n
Pittsburg would get the ball back with 1:21 remaining and no timeouts, but an interception by Christian Montion sealed the win with 30 seconds to go. <\/p>\n
It was a see-saw battle the entire game with both teams holding 14-point leads at one point. The Pirates (4-3, 1-1 BVAL) built a 42-28 second-half lead behind a rushing attack that gained over 360 yards and produced all seven of their touchdowns. Harris Ross lead the ground attack with 169 yards on 14 carries. <\/p>\n
\"We bent but didn't break,\" Freedom coach Kevin Hartwig said of his defense. \"Well, we broke, but mended things back together in time to make a play at the end.\" <\/p>\n
Freedom quarterback Dante Mayes broke the 42-42 tie with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Daniels with 7:28 left in the game. It was his fourth scoring pass of the night. The first three went to running back Joe Mixon, who also rushed for a score and threw for one out of the wildcat formation. <\/p>\n
\"It was a great game,\" Pittsburg coach Victor Galli said. \"It's a big win for Freedom. They're a good football team. Disappointed <\/p>\n
Neither team wasted anytime displaying its offensive prowess. <\/p>\n
Despite Mayes -- the Falcons' regular starting quarterback -- beginning the game on the sidelines, Freedom (5-2, 2-0) took the opening possession and scored on a 38-yard end-around run by receiver Daniels after just six plays. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Freedom 49, Pittsburg 48<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a battle that many anticipated might swing the balance of the Bay Valley Athletic League football landscape, the Freedom High football team outlasted host Pittsburg 49-48 on Friday. Continue reading