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Dillard picked up 11 yards on the next play. On fourth-and four from the 41, Dillard was stopped short of a first down. However, a face mask penalty gave SM new life. Two plays later, Ritchie caught Roper's deflected pass for 16 yards and a first down at the seven. Dillard scored the game-winner by going off the left side on the next play with 26 seconds left in the game. David Leonard kicked the extra point to account for the final.
Dillard intercepted Wimpey's desperation pass to seal the victory.
Trailing 17-14, the Mustangs drove from their 36 to the Yellow Jacket 15 on the opening possession of the second half. Dillard ripped off a 24-yard run, gained six on fourth-and-two and had an 11-yard pickup. The drive stalled with losses on consecutive plays, and Hayesville took over on downs at the 22.
Ten plays later, Wimpey scored from seven yards out on a quarterback keeper. He passed to Richard Engert for the conversion and a 25-14 lead with 3:27 remaining in the third period. The drive included runs of 11 and 10 yards by Dee Dee Barnard, 18 yards by Engert and 10 yards by Jason Stepp.
The Mustangs' second possession of the half was similar to the first as they reached the 14 before being stopped for losses on back-to-back plays. Hayesville took over on downs at the 20. Highlighting the SM march was a 20-yard pass from Roper to Carnes.
The Mustangs jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first half only to see the Jackets respond with 17 points in a span of less than five and a half minutes during the second period.
SM got on the board by driving 76 yards in 11 plays, all on the ground, the second time it got the ball. Dillard started the march with a 16-yard run, and Carnes had a 31-yard romp up the middle. Dillard scored from a yard out, and Leonard's PAT made it 7-0 with 34 seconds to play in the opening stanza.
Joseph Ensley sacked Wimpey and combined with Day for another sack on consecutive plays forcing Hayesville to punt from deep in its territory. As a result, the Mustangs took over in good field possession at the Jacket 39.
A 16-yard pass from Roper to Ritchie and an 11-yard run by Carnes along with a penalty helped SM reach the four. Dillard fumbled before he could cross the goal line, but Day fell on the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Leonard's PAT extended the margin to 14-0 with 8:40 to go in the half.
Hayesville answered by taking just five plays to go 77 yards. The key was a 45-yard bomb from Wimpey to Lunsford. Stepp and Engert ran for 11 and 13 yards on consecutive plays. Stepp scored from the five, and Kane Martin kicked the extra point cutting the gap to 14-7 at the 6:35 mark.
On the first play after the kickoff, Reid Woody recovered Roper's fumble at the Mustang 29. Runs of 21 yards by Barnard and 15 yards by Engert helped overcome a penalty. Wimpey scored from the eight, and Martin's PAT tied it 14-14 with 5:29 on the clock.
The Jackets got the ball back at the SM 39 following a short punt. Stepp's 25-yard run helped set up Kane's 23-yard field goal giving his team a 17-14 edge 1:15 before intermission.
Engert and Stepp both had 73 yards on the ground in 12 and 11 carries, respectively. Barnard added 59 yards in eight attempts.
Wimpey completed four of 10 passes for 59 yards. Lunsford had two receptions for 47 yards.
Jake Day led the Mustangs in tackles with 11.
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