Games like Friday night in Riverside are ones that stick in a player’s mind for a long time. The Highland football team trailed for most of their game against Pekin, but when the clock hit zero it was the Huskies celebrating a 25-24 victory on a final second touchdown.

Pekin held a 14-6 advantage at the break and that lead grew to 21-6 early in the third. Owen Donovan kept the Huskies close when he took the ensuing kickoff 83 yards to the house. They added one more score late in the third to cut it to 24-18 and had a chance to tie it up with three minutes left, but an interception on second and goal stalled the drive. The Huskie defense did not waver, by stopping the Panthers on four straight plays headlined by a Cael Yeggy sack. The offense marched right down the field and with no time on the clock Connor Grinstead scored from one yard out to tie it up. Donovan’s point after touchdown hit the crossbar before falling through and gave the Huskies a heart-stopping win. Head Coach Scott Morel tells KCII Sports the hours of working on the two-minute drill in practice came in handy on Friday night. “We ran the two-minute drill and they ran it perfect. We talked about having grit and they really did by continuing to fight. Our line took over late in the game and it was great to see. It was a great team win.” Grinstead was 10 of 18 through the air for 182 yards and a touchdown while adding two more on the ground. Zane Arnold had five receptions for 112 yards and a score.

The Huskies improve to 4-2 and travel to Durant on Friday.