WELLS — After taking a quick 13-0 lead, Wells High eventually found itself playing catch-up Friday night.
And it almost did.
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Wells reached the Leavitt 5-yard line in the closing seconds but couldn’t score as the Hornets clinched a 26-19 victory in a Western Class C football game.
On their last play, on fourth-and-goal from the 7, a Warriors pass was broken up by defensive back Billy Bedard.
Chris Carney led Wells with 151 yards on 19 carries. Mike Curtis added 104 yards on 14 carries.
But most of those yards came in the first half. Leavitt shut out the Warriors thereafter.
“A few defensive adjustments,” Hornets Coach Mike Hathaway said. “It helped a little bit. It’s tough stopping (Carney) and (Curtis).”
Leavitt quarterback Levi Craig completed 10 of 22 passes for 122 yards and rushed for 78 more.
Leavitt (6-1) will end the regular season next week against unbeaten Spruce Mountain.
Wells (5-2) lost to Spruce Mountain earlier in the year.
The Warriors, who finish the season at Lake Region next week, figure to be contenders in the postseason.
That was the message Wells Coach Tim Roche gave his players as they huddled around him while the Hornets whooped it up on the other end of the field.
“I just said to them that it’s not celebrating in October that we want to do. It’s celebrating in November,” Roche said. “If we can learn from what just happened here and correct our mistakes … and we made mistakes, coaches and players.”
Wells was penalized 12 times for 105 yards as the Warriors had trouble finding a groove.
“We’ve got to be more disciplined,” Roche said.
The Warriors were flying early. Carney ran back the opening kickoff 50 yards to the Leavitt 47. They needed only five plays to score, capped by Carney’s 10-yard run.
Leavitt’s first drive ended with a Nate Booth interception at the Wells 5. After big runs by Curtis (66 yards) and Carney (22), Booth, the quarterback, ran in from the 7. The extra-point kick was wide and Wells led 13-0.
Carney’s second touchdown, a 5-yard run, gave Wells a 19-6 lead with 55 seconds left in the half.
That was enough time for Craig to lead the Hornets on a three-play, 62-yard drive, capped by a 40-yard TD pass to Maxwell Green.The Hornets trailed 19-12.
Owen Berry of Wells intercepted Craig to start the second half, giving the Warriors possession at the Leavitt 32. Wells went backward and set up to punt at the 38.
But a high snap gave Leavitt the ball on the Wells 33. The Hornets drove in, finished by Bedard’s 6-yard run. After a Wells pass interference call on the conversion try, Bedard ran it in for a 20-19 Leavitt lead.
Lajoie Chandler of the Hornets intercepted Booth at the Wells 12 with 1:50 left. On second down, the Warriors allowed Craig to score on a 15-yard run so they could get the ball back. Leavitt led 26-19.
Booth completed passes of 29 yards (Carney) and 33 yards (Reid Chase), moving to the Leavitt 5, with 31 seconds remaining.
Wells spiked the ball to stop the clock, ran Carney (two-yard loss), spiked the ball again, then threw the incompletion.
“We’re fine,” Roche said. “It’s not the end of the world. We still have the playoffs and that’s what it’s all about.”
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