Atlanta ninth grade edges Panthers, 36-34

 The ninth grade Rabbits ended their season last Thursday night with a big win over Spring Hill. This was a tough contest between two fantastic football teams. 
In the first quarter, the Rabbits jumped out ahead with an 8-yard TD pass to Cade Fant from Max Ebarb followed by a 2-point conversion run by Ebarb making it 8-0. 
The Rabbit defense stopped the Panthers in four plays with big plays in the backfield by Jared Cowgill, Connor Samples and Thomas Steward to get the ball back to end the first quarter. 
The Rabbits started the second quarter with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Treyvon Powell from Ebarb. 
Jacobi Dickerson ran in the 2-point conversion making the score 16-0. 
The Panthers scored on their next two possessions, but Atlanta answered back with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Cade Wood from Ebarb making it a 22-14 ball game. 
The Rabbits kicked off late in the second quarter and on the way down Terrence Thomas hit the ball carrier forcing a fumble that was recovered by Cameron Carney. 
The Rabbits failed to score, and the Panthers took over on downs. They moved the ball slightly, but big hits by John Fields, Treyvon Powell and Dickerson stopped the Panthers on the first two downs. 
On third down, J.J. Fields knocked down a deep ball and then as the clock ran out to end the half Marques Banks came up big at safety as he knocked down a pass. 
During the third quarter it was a defensive battle with neither team scoring, but in the process Samples forced a big fumble to end a possession for the Panthers. 
The fourth quarter was one for the record books as both teams played hard going back and forth. The Panthers scored twice to put them up 28-22. T
he Rabbits would not quit and struck the Panthers with another 35-yard pass to Wood from Ebarb. 
The Rabbits failed to get the 2-point conversion making it a tied up 28-28 ball game. 
After a penalty on the kickoff and a few positive plays, Spring Hill’s quarterback rolled out to his right and heaved a pass across the middle but Carney blazed down from the safety position, and intercepted the ball and turned on the burners returning it to the 20-yard line. 
After a pass to Keyonte King and a few hard runs by Drae Nelson and Dickerson, the Rabbits had the ball on the two-yard line. 
Ebarb handed off to Nelson who lowered his head through the middle and drove into the endzone for the Rabbit touchdown. 
On the 2-point conversion Ebarb rolled out on a bootleg and hit Fant who ran in the score making it a 36-28 game in favor of the Rabbs. 
With less than minute to play, the Panthers took the kickoff down inside the 20. 
The Rabbit defense hustled out determined to win the game, but after a few big stops by Steward, Samples and Fant, as well as a pass break up by Dickerson, the Panthers running back found his way into the endzone on a 1-yard carry making it 36-34. 
With five seconds left on the clock the Panthers lined up for the 2-point conversion, and handed off the ball to the right to their biggest running back and he headed for the edge. 
The Rabbits pursued, but the tailback hits the sideline and turns toward the endzone in hopes of running in when out of nowhere Nelson rips off a block at the goal line and lays a huge hit on the back making the tackle and knocking him out of bounds at the 1-yard line to stop their 2-point attempt, leaving the score 36-34. 
Spring Hill attempted to onside kick and it went out of bounds. 
The Rabbit offense took a knee, securing a win on the last contest of the season.