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MILTON - Fans arriving late to Friday's Heartland crossover scrap between cross-river rivals Lewisburg and Milton didn't miss much.
The second quarter was a different story, however.
A total of 35 points were scored in the period as the Green Dragons and host Black Panthers went back and forth, with the lead changing every time each team scored.
But Lewisburg had the last laugh in the opening half when Drake Osunde caught a 40-yard touchdown from Xavier Carter with just :10.5 seconds remaining to go in front, and the Green Dragons stayed in front with 14 more unanswered points to take a 35-14 victory at Alumni Field.
"It was a (much-needed) win, especially after the tough week we had last week (in a 36-32 loss to Bloomsburg)," said Lewisburg coach Eric Wicks. "I think the guys came out and competed as a team, and they did a good job."
Said Milton coach Matt Wilson, "This (loss) really does sting. The kids had a great week of practice; we had a great game plan. We double teamed Jaylen (Walker) for most of the game until our safety (Brody Locke) was ejected in the first half, so we had to switch some things up, and that hurt us as well."
Just to illustrate how crazy the second quarter was, Milton (3-6) tied the game at 14 when Paxton Humphrey tossed a 12-yard touchdown to Ja'Cori Brown with :34.1 seconds remaining.
Lewisburg (5-4), after getting the ball at the 35 due to the kickoff rolling out of bounds, utilized the 2-minute drill to perfection, although the Dragons only needed 24 seconds to go back in front.
Following a pass of 18 yards to Jaylen Walker and then a short dump pass for eight yards to Jett Jamieson, Carter heaved a 40-yard bomb to Osunde to give Lewisburg a 21-14 lead.
"Oh, that was a big score. You know, we're going back-and-forth, and basically Milton couldn't stop us, and we weren't able to stop them," said Wicks. "Then to have less than a minute left on the clock and to be able to use a 2-minute offense and rush down the field and be able to score - it was phenomenal."
That play, after Milton worked so hard to tie the game, was heart-breaking to say the least for the Black Panthers.
"That play was very deflating. Lewisburg went up before the half and they were getting the ball to start the second half. With an offense of that caliber, you don't ever want to give them back-to-back possessions with a chance to score, so that was very deflating for us," said coach Wilson.
"We knew Lewisburg was going to put the ball in the air. They made some plays and we couldn't make a tackle in bounds, and they ran some time out and were able to get out of bounds (on an 8-yard pass to Jett Jamieson), and then the next play they took it up top right before halftime. Our guys were there in positions, but they didn't execute."
The Green Dragons picked up where they left off in the first half by scoring on its second possession of the third quarter.
Lewisburg needed just three plays to score its fourth touchdown of the night as Osunde hauled in a 43-yard strike from Carter.
It was almost a replay from two plays earlier when the duo hooked up for what seemed to be a 52-yard score, but the touchdown was nullified after Osunde was flagged for pushing off against a Milton defender.
"That felt great, and watching it, it was like (Milton's) coaches did a great job coaching their guys up, because they double-teamed our guy (Jaylen Walker) and we couldn't get him the ball for most of the deal," said Wicks. "But, we had some other guys come alive tonight and make some big plays."
Walker did manage to break free for a score in the fourth quarter when he caught a 16-yard pass from Carter with 6:14 left in the game.
Carter finished the night with 243 yards passing and five touchdowns, including three to Osunde, who racked up 112 yards on five catches.
Owen Fellon also caught three balls for 71 yards and a touchdown as well for the Dragons, plus Ethan Coleman carried the ball 23 times for 112 yards.
"It was another big night for (Carter and Osunde), and like I always say if we can have those guys playing and competing the way they do, it makes it harder on teams when they just double team Jaylen," said Wicks.
"If we want to be able to win games and take control offensively, then we got to get as many guys as possible involved - that's our way for us to win."
For Milton, Paxton Humphrey tossed two touchdowns in the second quarter - one to Brown and the other to Kamryn Wilson - a 60-yard strike that tied the game at 7 with 9:13 left in the second quarter.
Humphrey ended up with 232 yards passing, while Wilson caught three balls for 118 yards and Brown finished with six catches for 82 yards.
"Kam has been stepping up at the wide receiver game - he had a great game last week against Southern - and he was able to have his way with one of their senior corners, and he's taking that role as being the leader in the receiver room," said Wilson. "Him and Paxton have a great chemistry, and they both have a quarterback mindset, so they are able to be on the same page on a lot of things.
"Paxton just has the poise back there to buy some time with his feet and look downfield to give Kam the ball," added Milton's coach.