The Harrisburg Bulldogs traveled to their old Lewis and Clark Conference rival Westran on Friday evening, upsetting the hometown Hornets in a dramatic, come-from-behind victory, 14-10.

Westran entered the game with an impressive 8-2 record and the winner of eight straight, including a 50-8 victory over Cole Camp last week in the district quarterfinals. Harrisburg entered with a 6-4 record and a three-game winning streak.

Harrisburg’s bid to advance to just its second district title game in program history got off to a rocky start. After the Bulldogs ran the opening kick-off to the 24-yard line and picked a first down on a 12-yard rush from junior running back Caleb Sager, several plays for loss set up a punting situation in the end zone. The snap went long and out of the end zone, resulting in a safety for Westran and an early 2-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

“We shot ourselves in the foot early, but our guys responded and kept playing hard,” said Harrisburg coach Brennan Claas.

Westran began its first offensive possession on the 45. The Harrisburg hard-hitting defense delivered several tackles for loss, setting up a third-and-13. Westran completed a five-yard pass and faced a fourth-down punt attempt. This time, it was Westran’s snap that went long. The Hornets’ punter corralled the ball and completed a short pass, but it was not enough for the first down, and Harrisburg took over with excellent field position.

Sager ripped off several runs, gaining a first-and-goal from the nine. But a big loss led to a third down with 26 yards to the line to gain for Harrisburg. Never lacking in long-yardage plays this season, senior quarterback Trace Combs hit junior receiver Rylee Robinson for a diving catch inside the 5-yard line. But the Westran defense stood firm, stopping Sager a half-yard short of the goal line and forcing Harrisburg to turn over the ball on downs.

A defensive battle ensued, with neither team able to put more points on the board before halftime. By the end of the second quarter, Westran clung to a 2-0 lead.

“I told our guys we were playing against two teams, them and us,” Claas said about his halftime speech. “We made too many mistakes in the first half, and we need to make more plays in the second half to beat a very good Westran team.”

Westran took the ball first in the second half, starting at the 35 yard-line. The Bulldog defense stopped the Hornets quickly, forcing a punt. But Harrisburg muffled the catch, allowing the Hornets to regain possession with a short field on the 41.

The Hornets took advantage of the second chance. Junior quarterback Gage Adler completed a pass up the middle to senior wide receiver Marshall Kitchen for a first down. An unsportsmanlike penalty on Westran moved the ball back to the 41. On third-and-eight, Adler completed another pass for a first down to the 17 yard-line. A third-down pass completion set up Westran with a fourth-and-two. Westran earned another first down with a three-yard run and a first-and-goal from the 7. Senior wide receiver Cooper Harvey then caught a touchdown pass and then the 2-point conversion, giving Westran a 10-0 lead with 5:37 left in the third quarter.

“Westran has 10 seniors, and their coach does a tremendous job. We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Claas said.

The Bulldogs opened their next drive at midfield on their own 47. Facing second-and-16, Combs completed a pass to senior receiver Bryce Ott for a first down on the 42. After several short runs, the Bulldogs faced a fourth-and-one from the 33. Combs faked a hand-off to Sager and threw deep to Robinson for a fresh set of downs at the 4-yard line. After Sager rushed for three yards, Combs kept it on second down, rushing for the touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, and Westran held a 10-6 advantage with 1:02 left in the third quarter.

Westran started strong on its next possession, gaining several first downs and driving into Harrisburg territory. A couple of penalties stalled the drive, forcing a punt.

Harrisburg started the next drive with a long field on the 24 with 8:04 left in the game. On second and 13, Combs found Ott for a 79-yard touchdown pass. Combs then scrambled to his right, rushing for a successful two-point conversion to give his team its first lead of the night, 14-10, with 7:10 remaining in the game.

The fired-up Harrisburg defense stuffed the Hornets’ attempts on the first three plays of their next drive to set up a pivotal fourth-and-six. The Bulldogs then came up with a huge fourth-down stop short of the first down to regain possession on the 41-yard line with a lead and only 4:47 left in the contest.

The Bulldogs rushed hard for several first downs before the Westran stopped them on two consecutive rushing plays. On the next play, a Hornet defender forced a fumble, giving the ball back to Westran on their own 31 with 2:28 remaining in the game.

Moments later, on third-and-23 from their own 15-yard line, the Hornets completed a long pass for 19 yards to set up a crucial fourth-and-four. Another pass completion gave the Hornets a first-and-10 on their 42, but only 1:16 remained. A 16-yard pass completion moved the ball to the Harrisburg 42. After several incompletions, Westran once again faced a fourth down with six yards to go to convert with only 55 seconds left. Adler took the shotgun snap and, after looking at several options, heaved a pass deep down the field. Harrisburg freshman defensive back Nash Sublett knocked the pass down near the goal line, giving the Bulldogs the ball back on downs and securing the 14-10 victory.

“Nash is just a freshman, but he made an outstanding play,” Claas said. “He works his butt off and does everything we ask of him. Our young kids have come so far this year. I’m happy for them. Our scout team also did a great job preparing us for the multiple formations we saw tonight. This was a team victory all the way.”

Combs led the Bulldogs offensively, completing four of six attempts for 147 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 51 yards on 11 attempts and a score. Sager added 24 yards on 21 attempts. Ott led the receivers with 95 yards on two catches, one for a touchdown. Robinson added 52 on two catches.

Junior linebacker Victor Shouse had a monster game defensively, leading the Bulldogs with 16 tackles. Robinson added 12 tackles, and junior defensive lineman Jonathan Darwent had 11. Ott also had an interception in the second quarter to stop a Hornet drive.

With the victory, Harrisburg advances to next week’s District Championship at Tipton. The game is a rematch from their week five contest, in which Tipton narrowly won 38-32.

“We played them earlier in the season. It was a good game, but that doesn’t mean anything. It all comes down to who executes the best, so we’ll need another great week of practice,” Coach Claas said. “We’re definitely excited to still be playing!”

Friday’s winner will claim the Class 1 District 2 title and advance to the state semifinals on November 30.