PIKEVILLE, Ky. — It wasn’t pretty and produced a few head-scratching moments, but ultimately the University of Pikeville football team held on for a 28-17 senior-day win over Kentucky Christian on Saturday at a cold and wet Hambley Athletic Complex.
The Bears (3-6, 3-2 MSC East) saw a 14-0 lead in the third quarter slip away as punter Damir Karapandzic had a fumble that led to a five-yard touchdown pass and quarterback Sani Warren fumbled on the next UPIKE drive, which was scooped up by Denzel Cameron for another score to tie the game.
Luke Eisnaugle put the Knights (5-4, 2-3 MSC East) ahead for the first time with a 27-yard field goal with just over 11 minutes to play, but the Bears bounced back as a miscue finally went in their advantage. Eisnaugle bobbled the snap on a punt near his endzone, allowing Dominique Deo Adams snatch the ball away and go in for six to put UPIKE ahead for good at 21-17.
After the Pikeville defense held off Kentucky Christian for over seven minutes, Quan Weaver added the final dagger by going untouched on a 38-yard rush to take an 11-point lead with 1:16 to play. Dario Bennett picked off Knight quarterback Robert Powell on his final drive, allowing Warren to take a knee for the win.
Warren was 19-of-32 for 181 yards with a touchdown and interception and Weaver paced the running backs with 77 yards and two scores. Shawntez Johnson went over 100 yards receiving with 103 on seven catches including a touchdown.
The Bears outgained Kentucky Christian 242-157 with a 181-99 yard advantage through the air. Both teams gave up two fumbles and threw two interceptions to come up even on the turnover battle, while UPIKE was the clear leader in first downs at 28-17.
John Dudley Hilton finished with a game-high seven tackles, becoming the program’s all-time leader in total stops. Cameron Nolan was all over the field as well with four tackles and two big broken up passes. UPIKE’s interceptions went to Romon Morris and Dario Bennett.
While neither team scored in the first quarter, it looked like UPIKE was in control when it scored 14 straight points just before halftime. Weaver struck first taking the ball in from two-yards out alone in the backfield, while Warren hooked up with Johnson for a 13-yard score with 33 seconds left before halftime.
Two regular-season games are left for UPIKE, both on the road, starting with a 1:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Belhaven next Saturday in Jackson, Miss.
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