CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Kannon Hall admitted that as prepared as he felt his Bradley Central football team was before its matchup against intracounty rival Walker Valley, it may not have been enough.
But the eventual battle of attrition ultimately went the Bears' way.
Bradley overcame a 21-point second-quarter deficit to defeat the Mustangs 37-34 at Bear Stadium, a game that wasn't settled until a Kangal Sabany field-goal attempt from 26 yards went wide as time expired Thursday night.
The Bears (1-1) played without the services of Virginia-committed quarterback Javin Burke, who was lost for the season with an injury in last week's loss against Farragut. They won against the Mustangs (1-1) on the strength of backup quarterback Aiden McCleary, who threw for 221 yards; freshman running back Jackson Wilson, who rushed for 88 yards and four scores; and Hall, who had 158 yards on 12 catches.
"We were a little lacking in the first quarter, and in the second quarter, we fought back as a team," Hall said. "In the end, we got the win."
Hall's touchdown catch stopped the 21-point run the Mustangs started the game on and started a 24-point spurt for the Bears. The game finished with four lead changes, the final the last of Wilson's touchdowns, a 1-yard plunge with 2:46 to play.
The Mustangs, behind the arm of quarterback Tucker Pope, moved the ball to the 9-yard line with three seconds to play before Sabany's miss.
Pope finished with 310 yards passing and 108 rushing. Brody Swafford had 162 yards on nine catches.
"You've got to give Walker Valley credit. They came out and punched us in the mouth," Bradley coach Damon Floyd said. "I give our team credit for never stopping and battling back.
"I got outcoached, but luckily our guys pulled it out."
Javon Burke rushed for 58 yards and picked off a pass on Walker Valley's second possession of the second half, returning the interception to the Mustangs' 1-yard line.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.