Hampton had an upset on the mind Friday night but came up just short.
The Bulldogs dropped a hard-fought 49-34 decision to Meigs County, who was ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 2A, in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs in Decatur. The loss brings an end to a 10-2 season for the Bulldogs.
Hampton proved early they weren’t going to go down without a fight.
The Bulldogs got on the board first as Conor Jones scored on an 11-yard run, and Michael Harrison added the extra point to give HHS a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
After Mr. Football Semifinalist Will Meadows evened the score for the Tigers, Hampton regained the lead in the opening seconds of the second quarter as Jonathan Greenwell caught an Aidan Vines throw off a double pass for a 53-yard touchdown.
Logan Carroll, however, answered for the Tigers with a 15-yard run with 8:55 left in the half, and then Meadows scored his second touchdown of the night with 1:05 remaining in the quarter to take a 21-14 lead into the half.
In the third quarter, Meigs County opened the scoring just past the midpoint of the quarter with a short touchdown on fourth and goal to push the lead to 14 points. The Bulldogs marched down the field on the ensuing drive, but a fumble inside the Meigs 10 halted the drive.
The Hampton defense rose to the occasion by forcing a quick Tiger punt and started moving efficiently down the field to end the third quarter.
Morgan Lyons founded the endzone on an eight-yard run to open the fourth quarter, and the Harrison extra point moved the Bulldogs within seven points with 11:07 left.
Meigs County, however, answered in just over a minute as Carroll found the endzone once again – this time from two yards out – to extend the lead back to 14 points.
After Meigs pushed the lead to 21 points with a Meadows score, Hampton continued to fight.
Jones hit Lyons for a 15-yard touchdown with 4:56 to play, but Meadows and Meigs answered with a 53-yard touchdown on the ensuing possession.
The Bulldogs continued to battle until the final seconds when Vines caught a Jones pass for a 15-yard touchdown to cap the scoring for the night.
Jones finished 8-of-18 with 153 yards passing while adding 43 yards on 17 carries on the ground. Lyons added 42 yards on seven carries.
Vines finished the night with 52 yards on nine carries.
