LONDON — North Laurel traded punches with Madison Central for much of the first three quarters, but the Indians used a big second-half surge to pull away for a 41-23 victory.
The loss dropped the Jaguars to 1-2.
Madison Central struck quickly when Gavin Kinley broke loose for a 61-yard touchdown run with 10:01 remaining in the first quarter. North Laurel answered with a 23-yard Cam Anderson field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3.
A three-yard touchdown run by Corinthian Barnes extended Madison Central’s advantage to 14-3, but the Jaguars responded early in the second quarter.
Jude McWhorter scored on a 13-yard touchdown run with 10:28 remaining. The extra point was blocked, leaving Madison Central ahead 14-9.
Less than two minutes later, North Laurel’s defense provided a huge play. Braxton Fultz recovered a fumble and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown. The extra point gave the Jaguars their first lead, 16-14.
Madison Central regained the advantage before halftime when quarterback Carson Herbst broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed, sending the Indians into the break with a 20-16 lead.
North Laurel came out of halftime and answered once again.
McWhorter broke loose for his second touchdown of the night, this time from 30 yards, and the extra point put North Laurel back in front, 23-20, with 7:13 remaining in the third quarter.
From there, Madison Central took control.
Herbst answered just 45 seconds later with a 63-yard touchdown run to give the Indians a 27-23 advantage. Madison Central added another long touchdown run, this one covering 48 yards, to stretch the lead to 34-23 with 4:07 left in the third.
Bronson Parker capped the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown run with 1:02 remaining in the quarter, giving Madison Central a 41-23 advantage.
The Indians scored 21 unanswered points after North Laurel had taken its 23-20 lead, turning what had been a back-and-forth battle into a 41-23 victory.
