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BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
Sophomore quarterback Landon Ramsey passed for 324 yards and junior receiver Devin Ramsey caught 13 passes for 256 and the Unaka Rangers battled back from a 24-point deficit to tie the score late in the contest.
Sunbright would get the last laugh however as the Tigers scored the winning touchdown with 22.3 seconds left to take a 50-44 win at Goddard Field on Friday night.
“That’s what high school football is about,” Rangers head coach O’Brien Bennett said. “You had two teams trade punches all night on offense and defense and I tried my hand at calling defenses tonight but I didn’t do a good enough job giving up 50 points.”
The Rangers struck first on their initial possession going 75 yards on nine plays with sophomore quarterback Landon Ramsey running in from five yards out for a 6-0 Unaka lead.
Sunbright (4-7) answered with a 40-yard drive with Evan England scoring on a nine-yard pass from senior quarterback John Wayne Freels. England ran in the deuce for an 8-6 Tigers lead.
In the second period, the Tigers drove 65 yards on 10 plays with Hammock lugging it in from the one-yard line. Freels pass to Brandsteader made it 16-6 for Sunbright.
The Rangers answered right back with a long 82-yard drive with junior receiver Devin Ramsey scoring on a 23-yard pass from Landon to cut the deficit to 16-12.
Ramsey completed 10-for-18 passes for 93 yards in the first half with a touchdown pass and a scoring run. In the second half, the points rang up like a pinball machine as each team struck for big play after big play.
Sunbright scored 22 third-quarter points to Unaka’s eight to take a 38-20 lead after three periods.
Freels scored on runs of 35 and 20 yards and Houston Bryant caught a 61-yard touchdown pass in the stanza. Devin Ramsey caught three touchdown passes in this one including a 29 yarder in the third period.
“Our kids played hard and I am proud of them,” Bennett said. “They have nothing to hang their head about. Sometimes you come up one play short.”
Freels passed for 156 yards and two scores and rushed for 57 more.
In the fourth quarter, Unaka got three scoring passes from Ramsey who finished with five scoring passes and a touchdown run.
Devin Ramsey caught a 14-yard scoring pass while Caleb Lydick had an eight-yard reception and Nick Shell tied the game with 2:51 remaining on a 61-yard scoring catch and run.
On the last drive, Sunbright drove 71 yards on seven plays with Bryant scoring from six yards out.
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Sunbright 50-44
Scoring summary
First Quarter
U – L.Ramsey 5 run (pass failed) 8:20
S – England 9 pass from Freels (England run) 5:24
Second Quarter
S – Hammock 1 run (Freels pass to Branstetter) 10:12
U – D.Ramsey 23 pass from L.Ramsey (run failed) 8:00
Third Quarter
S – Bryant 61 pass from Freels (run failed) 11:42
S – Freels 35 run (Bryant run) 6:45
U – D.Ramsey 29 pass from L.Ramsey (L.Ramsey pass to Lydick)3:45
Fourth Quarter
U – D.Ramsey 14 pass from L.Ramsey (L. Ramsey run) 11:52
S – Durham fumble recover in end zone (pass failed) 8:35
U – Lydick 8 pass from L.Ramsey (Ramsey pass to Ramsey) 6:46
U – Shell 64 pass from L.Ramsey (Ramsey pass to Ramsey) 2:51
S – Bryant 6 run ( run failed) :22.3