The East Ridge Pioneers continued with their bounce-back season Friday night, while the Hixson Wildcats continued with their home miseries.
The Pioneers took advantage of a few more plays than the hosts and scored the winning touchdown in the final 2:20 to post a 21-14 District 6-AA triumph that spoiled Hixson’s senior night with the Wildcats’ fifth home loss this year.
“I don’t know what it is. This is the third game on this field where we could have easily walked away a winner, but it just wasn’t to be,” Hixson coach Houston White said. “I told the kids, games come down to four or five plays and we just didn’t make them.”
The Pioneers (4-4, 3-2) have won three games in a row and remain firmly entrenched in playoff contention, and they did it on this night by making those three or four plays, including two touchdown grabs on balls thrown up in the air.
Emanuel Williams caught the first one, a 21-yard jump ball over a Hixson defender for the first score with 5:25 to go in the first quarter. Hixson (3-5, 1-4) answered with steady tailback Clarencio Holmes bursting home from the 11 at the 8:57 mark of the second quarter.