North Cross used a dramatic 14-point turnaround from junior Penn Draper, a final-minute interception return by Max Revercomb and a 106-yard rushing day by Evan Anderson, as the Raiders outlasted Hargrave Military 50-37 Saturday afternoon at homecoming on Thomas Field.
This one was much closer than the final score would indicate.
The first half saw five lead changes with Hargrave scoring late in the second quarter to give the Tigers a 16-15 advantage heading to the locker room.
Raider quarterback Max Revercomb hit freshman Jordan Lowrey with a 9-yard touchdown pass to open the second half scoring, and North Cross running back Evan Anderson followed with a 1-yard touchdown blast that put the Raiders up 30-16.
Hargrave was well on its way to a one-score game when a Tiger running back headed to the end zone late in the third. Raider free safety Penn Draper closed inside the five, stripping the ball from behind, and giving the ball back to North Cross.
Three plays later, Revercomb hit Draper for a touchdown bomb down the Hargrave sideline for a 37-16 lead. Fourteen point turnaround in a minute.
“That was the game-changer,” North Cross head coach Stephen Alexander said afterward. “Penn strips the ball, then scores three plays later. Wow !”
Hargrave wasn’t finished. The Tigers scored the game’s next 21 points to forge a 37-37 tie midway through the final quarter.
North Cross responded when Revercomb hit Lowrey from 26-yards out for a 43-37 Raider lead after the missed PAT.
Hargrave had one last gasp for the winning score, but the drive unraveled when Revercomb hauled in an interception and rambled 65-yards for a touchdown in the final minute.
“I was just sitting back there and the ball popped in my hands” Revercomb noted of his game-clincher.
Alexander awarded the game ball to Draper for his third quarter heroics.
“I don’t believe much in luck,” the coach said. “We played hard to get it done.”
by Bill Turner
