WINONA — The Winona Wildcats made all of their extra-point conversions and that was the difference in a 22-21, come-from-behind win over the Hawkins Hawks in the Distict 10-2A Div. II opener Friday.
Trailing 21-15 going into the fourth quarter, the Wildcats scored with 4:21 remaining on a 6-yard run by Ke’Aaron Cobb. Cristian Mendez was good on his second PAT attempt of the game to put the Wildcats (4-1, 1-0) ahead for good.
Hawkins (4-1, 0-1) opened the scoring in the first quarter on a 90-yard scoring strike from Jason Hass to Emory King. J.C. Tye was good on the PAT for a 7-0 lead.
Winona tied the game in the second on a 9-yard carry by Tyler Pullman and Mendez’s first PAT.
The Hawks took a 15-7 lead in the second quarter on a 11-yard scoring pass from Hass to Drew Roden. Roden also ran in the two-point conversion.
Cobb, who finished the game with 107 yards on 24 carries, scored his first TD of the night on a 2-yard run with 4:57 left in the third. The Wildcats knotted the score with a 2-point conversion with a pass from Joe Marsh to Pullman.
Hawkins took the lead again just more than a minute later on a 29-yard carry by Karvaylun Tennyson, but a missed PAT made it 21-15, leaving the door open for Winona’s fourth-quarter heroics.
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Winona 22, Hawkins 21
At Winona
Hawkins 7 8 6 0 — 21
Winona 0 7 8 7 — 22