WILLIAMSBURG — Middlesboro turned a six-point halftime lead into a runaway victory Friday, scoring 36 unanswered points in the second half to defeat Williamsburg 64-22 and secure its second consecutive district championship.
The Yellow Jackets improved to a perfect 8-0 while Williamsburg fell to 5-2.
Williamsburg struck first when Eli Meadors scored on a three-yard run with 9:03 left in the opening quarter. The two-point conversion gave the Yellow Jackets an 8-0 lead.
Middlesboro answered almost immediately. Amari Houston returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards for a touchdown, and Deakon Partin added the two-point conversion to tie the game at 8-8.
A bad snap on a Middlesboro punt later gave Williamsburg possession at the Yellow Jackets’ 22-yard line. On third-and-goal from the 15, Reece Hatcher connected with Lane Jeffries for a touchdown. The conversion made it 16-8 Williamsburg with 1:51 left in the first.
Middlesboro cut the deficit to 16-14 early in the second quarter when Caden Lawson broke free for a 34-yard touchdown run.
Williamsburg answered when Hatcher returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown, extending the lead to 22-14 with 5:48 remaining.
Lawson struck again less than two minutes later with a 27-yard touchdown run to make it 22-20.
Middlesboro then took its first lead just before halftime when Partin connected with Houston for a 46-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds remaining. The successful conversion gave Middlesboro a 28-22 advantage at the break.
The third quarter belonged to Middlesboro.
Lawson scored on a 38-yard run with 10:32 remaining, and the conversion pushed the lead to 36-22. Houston followed with a five-yard touchdown run, and Lawson then returned a punt 24 yards for another score.
Lawson added his fourth rushing touchdown of the night on a 12-yard run with 6:27 left, giving Middlesboro a 57-22 advantage.
Partin capped the scoring by finding Houston on a 14-yard touchdown pass with 1:47 remaining in the third quarter.
Middlesboro’s dominant second-half rally sealed the 64-22 victory, kept the Yellow Jackets unbeaten at 8-0 and delivered their second straight district championship.
