The fans at the Benjamin Logan vs. West Liberty-Salem football game Friday night certainly got their money’s worth.
In a back-and-forth battle that was decided in the final seconds, the host Tigers held on for a 42-41 victory.
Down by seven points, Ben Logan scored a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining to pull within a point.
However, a high snap on the extra-point attempt led to a failed kick, and that allowed the Tigers to come away with the one-point victory.
Both teams are now 1-1 on the season.
There was no shortage of yards Friday. The Raiders had 502 total yards and the Tigers finished with 353.
All but 27 of the Tigers’ yards came on the ground.
Junior running back Gabe McGill was the star of the game for WL-S. He piled up 267 yards and four touchdowns, including scoring runs of 86 and 56 yards.
The Raiders were balanced offensively with 260 passing yards and 242 rushing yards.
Senior Ben Logan quarterback Kam Allen was 20-34 for 260 yards and three touchdowns passing and he ran for 131 yards and another TD on 11 carries.
The game started with fireworks as the Tigers’ Andre Jones returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point kick by D.J. Yoder gave the hosts a 7-0 lead 11 seconds into the game.
The Raiders tied the game a few minutes later when Allen scored on a 28-yard run. The extra point kick by Max Mannings knotted the score at 7-7.
Ben Logan went ahead with 3:13 remaining in the first quarter on a 54-yard TD pass from Allen to Chase LeVan. That gave the Raiders a 14-7 advantage.
The Raiders increased their lead to 21-7 with 2:11 left in the opening quarter on a 1-yard Connor Whitt run.
The Tigers answered with a 6-yard TD run by McGill early in the second quarter to make the score 21-14.
Ben Logan responded with a 21-yard TD pass from Allen to Sam Whitten to open up a 14-point lead again at 28-14 with 7:40 to go in the first half.
The Tigers cut their deficit to seven points (28-21) at the 5:36 mark of the second period on a 32-yard TD run by quarterback Miles Hostetler.
Ben Logan’s defense came up with a score in the second half as Preston Bothel picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown to give the Raiders a 35-21 lead with 5:52 remaining in the third quarter.
The Tigers battled back as McGill ripped off his 86-yard TD run to make it 35-28 with 5:26 left in the third.
With 6:18 remaining in the ballgame, McGill got loose for a 56-yard TD sprint that tied the score at 35-35.
After forcing a Ben Logan punt, the Tigers drove down for a go-ahead score. McGill finished off the drive with a 7-yard TD. Yoder’s extra-point kick made it 42-35 with 1:13 left on the clock.
The Raiders quickly responded, moving the ball deep into Tigers’ territory in the final minute.
Allen found LeVan for a 13-yard TD connection that cut the WL-S lead to one with 14 seconds to go.
Ben Logan elected to try to tie the game and send it into overtime, but the extra-point kick bounced off the cross bar, leaving the Tigers ahead by a point.
Whitt added 94 yards rushing yards on 14 carries for the Raiders.
Whitten was the top BL receiver with 102 yards on six catches. LeVan had 67 yards on two grabs and Trevor Berry had 59 yards on six catches.
Both teams are back in action Friday. The Tigers host Springfield Catholic Central and the Raiders are home against Kenton Ridge.