By JOHN VERSER
TOMPKINSVILLE — The final two and a half minutes of the first half proved to be fatal to No. 7 Monroe County.
The Falcons led 21-14 before Greenwood scored 21 unanswered points to end the first half as the Gators went on to win 35-21 last Friday.
“It was a tough night for us,” Monroe coach John Petett said. “The last two minutes of the first half really hurt us.”
Monroe led 21-14 until late in the first half. Greenwood scored on a run from Hunter Thompson to tie the game with just over two minutes left.
The Falcons fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and gave the Gators a short field to work with. Greenwood needed just one play to go ahead, scoring on a pass from Logan Pemberton to Caleb Stahl to take a 28-21 lead.
The Gators (4-2) added to their lead on a pass from Pemberton to Thompson with just seconds left in the first half. Greenwood led 35-21 at the break.
And with a barnburner in the first half, neither team could get anything going offensively in the game’s final 24 minutes.
Justin Harlan was 13-of-22 for 159 yards passing on the night. He threw two touchdowns and one interception. Tanner Kendall led the Falcons’ rushing effort with 54 yards on eight carries. Caleb Maxey rushed 10 times for 38 yards.
Monroe’s rushing performance was a far cry from the team’s earlier efforts of the season. The Falcons, who had averaged 260.4 yards rushing entering Friday’s tilt, rushed for just 90 yards against the Gators. Half of that total came on the first play from scrimmage.
The Falcons took the lead on the first play from scrimmage as Tanner Kendall scored on a 45-yard run to begin the game. Monroe led 7-0 just seconds into the game.
Greenwood tied the game on its first drive on a 1-yard run from Pemberton just minutes later.
The Falcons went ahead again as Joseph Eaton caught a touchdown pass from Harlan for a 14-7 lead with over five minutes left in the first quarter.
The Gators tied things up again on a pass from Pemberton to Ricky Adams with 11:53 left in the first half.
Monroe broke the tie again on a long touchdown pass from Harlan to Neil Wilson. The scoring play gave the Falcons a 21-14 lead. Wilson caught five passes for 72 yards in the game.
The Falcons (5-1) are off this week. They resume play Oct. 17 with a game at district foe Glasgow.
“We’ve got to get back to work and get ready for a big district game against Glasgow,” Petett said.
Score by quarter
Greenwood 7 28 0 0 - 35
Monroe 14 7 0 0 - 21
Rushing
Tanner Kendall 8-54 (TD), Caleb Maxey 10-38, Justin Harlan 9-1, Jackson Arnett 1-2, Neil Wilson 1-(-5).
Passing
Justin Harlan 13/22, 159 yds., 2 TD, INT.
Receiving
Neil Wilson 5-72 (TD), Caleb Maxey 2-44, Garrett Lyon 2-9, Joseph Eaton 1-15 (TD), Tyler Welch 2-13, Tanner Kendall 1-6.
