Our Golden Bear football team – despite a ball control blueprint in the second half that saw Stephenson run only eight plays – came up just short on a late drive in a 21-14 region loss on the road Thursday night. 
 
With the blemish, HI is now 7-2, 2-2, but remain in the playoff hunt in the log-jam region. They will travel to Banneker next Thursday to take on Hapeville Charter in ending the regular season.
 
The second half went down this way: Down 21-7 at intermission, the Bears went on a drive that lasted 9:02 that ended on a Jacobi Murray two-yard plunge. Connor White and Jacobi were workhorses on the drive, with both picking up key yardage.
 
Stephenson, with their explosive offense and a running back being recruited by many, got the ball back but had to punt after seven plays. The Bears, gaining possession on the second play of the final period, then ran off nearly the entire quarter once again, with a White to Nick Morgan pass very key during the march that put us down on their 19.
 
The Bears then pounded away on the ground, getting it down inside their five, but on a 4^th-and goal from the 8, a White to Zach Jackson pass in the end zone – after a referee staff meeting discussion - was ruled incomplete which allowed the Jaguars to take a knee and run out the clock.
 
The first half saw Stephenson score on its opening possession when their star back raced 61 yards on the fourth play of the game. After both teams punted it back and forth, Murray returned the favor with a 57-yard TD scamper that tied things at 7 – a score that held after the quarter.
 
The second period was mostly Stephenson, however, with a big key being an HI drive that ended inside the Jaguar five when the Bears turned it over on downs. The home team then answered in Golden Bear fashion in going 95 yards and using up clock in the process to go up 14-7.
 
They added to their lead on their next possession on a 51-yard drive that ended in an 11-yard scoring run.
 
Looking at it all, the Bears battled, fought through knicks and pains and injuries only to come within an eyelash of forcing overtime. Morgan had a key tackle for loss and a sack; Jack Stivers, Jack Rankin, Murray, Colin McGinty, were all solid, and Jacob Stallworth recovered a fumble after a Morgan punt.
 
Morgan earlier also had a 55-yard boot to flip the field to avoid what could've been a loss in the field position battle.