LONDON — North Laurel continued its recent dominance in the crosstown rivalry Friday, rallying past South Laurel 27-16 to secure the district’s No. 2 seed and a home playoff game.
The Jaguars improved to 4-4 with the victory while South Laurel fell to 7-3 and will enter the postseason as the district’s No. 3 seed.
North Laurel also improved its all-time record against South Laurel to 22-15 and has now won 17 of the past 20 meetings between the two programs.
“I’m so proud of the way this team played tonight,” North Laurel coach Steven Nelson said. “Tough environment to play in and we came out to second half and executed our game plan. We just struggled to execute first half and we made adjustments and the players came out ready to go.
“I think we really worked hard to prepare this week and we practiced each day to make sure we were prepared and took the game seriously,” he added. “We have a bunch of blue collared boys that like to go out and play hard nosed football and I’m proud of them tonight and how they fought all the way to the end. Go Jags.”
The Jaguars struck first when Cam Anderson intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point gave North Laurel a 7-0 advantage.
South Laurel answered late in the quarter as Maddox Warren connected with Brady Robinson for a six-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining. The extra point was no good, leaving North Laurel in front 7-6.
The Cardinals took their first lead late in the second quarter when Cullen Dalrymple connected on a 34-yard field goal with 3:53 remaining, sending South Laurel into halftime with a 9-7 advantage.
North Laurel regained the lead midway through the third quarter when Jude McWhorter broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed, putting the Jaguars ahead 13-9.
South Laurel responded once again.
Warren scored on a one-yard quarterback keeper with 1:16 remaining in the third quarter, and the extra point gave the Cardinals a 16-13 lead entering the fourth.
The Jaguars took control in the final period.
McWhorter scored his second rushing touchdown of the night on a two-yard run with 8:26 remaining. The extra point was good, putting North Laurel back in front 20-16.
South Laurel still had time to answer, but North Laurel delivered the game’s decisive play with just over two minutes remaining.
McWhorter escaped pressure and made a circus throw downfield to Braxton Fultz, who hauled it in for a 33-yard touchdown with 2:17 left. The extra point pushed the Jaguars’ lead to 27-16 and sealed the win.
