Photo: Coosa Christian’s Jy Mostella scores a second-quarter touchdown as Grayson Malone (13) and Valley Head’s Carlos Character (80) look on during the Conquerors’ 35-32 loss in high school football on September 16 in Gadsden. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)
Hunter Robinson’s 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with three minutes left in the game help up as the winning points in Valley Head’s 35-32 victory over Coosa Christian in Class 1A, Region 7 action on September 16 in Gadsden.
Robinson’s score and Eian Bain’s two-point conversion run occurred just 13 seconds after Jy Mostella’s 5-yard touchdown run had provided the Conquerors with a 33-27 lead.
Coosa’s ensuing 14-play, 60-yard drive, which included successful conversion attempts on two third downs and one fourth down, ended with a missed field goal with four seconds remaining.
The final score put a damper on a standout performance by Mostella, who rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries.
John David Justus finished with 193 combined yards. He gained 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and was 10 for 20 in passing for 92 yards. Clete O’Bryant added 46 rushing yards on eight carries.
O’Bryant and Eli Motes each had four catches, Motes for 47 yards and O’Bryant for 37 yards.
The Conquerors’ 21-7 halftime lead was built by two touchdown runs from Justus – the first from two yards out at 8:31 of the first quarter and the second from 55 yards away at 2:14 – and a 4-yard TD run from Mostella with 32 seconds left in the first half.
The Tigers drew within 21-13 early in the third period on Herman Moreno’s 1-yard touchdown run, but Mostella scored from 17 yards out on the next Coosa possession to make it 27-13.
Valley Head scored the next two touchdowns to tie the game at 27 before Mostella temporarily restored the Conqueror advantage at 33-27 with 3:14 left in the game.
Coosa (2-3, 2-1) travels to Gatlinburg-Pittman (Tenn.) this Friday (Sept. 23).