WILSON – Ryan Weaver threw an 8-yard touchdown strike to Jemel Monger with under four minutes to play that broke a 15-15 tie and propelled Hertford County to a 21-15 win over Wilson Hunt here Thursday night.

Tyus Leary and Anthony Lassiter both had 59 yards on the ground to lead the Bears in rushing. Weaver was 7-for-15 for 119 yards passing with one touchdown while Lassiter was also leading receiver with 59 yards in catches.

On Hunt’s first drive of the game the Warriors fumbled and Jarrett Sexton recovered for the Bears on their own 30-yard line. However, the HCHS drive was stopped and after the Bears punted Hunt took over on their own 20.

It took the Warriors just four plays to go 80 yards, culminating with a Darius Barnes 67 yard scamper for the night’s first score with 3:45 left in the first quarter. The point-after kick by Brian Orellana was good and Hunt had staked themselves to a 7-0 lead.

On the Bears’ next possession Weaver was picked off by the Warriors’ Ervin Speight, stopping the short drive on the Hertford County 33-yard line and setting Hunt up with great field position. But on the second play the Warriors fumbled and the Bears’ Alfonza Beverly pounced on the pigskin at the HCHS 18-yard line.

The Bears’ drive was stopped and Hertford County punted on the first play of the second quarter.  Christopher Jordan then stepped in front of a Jacob Williamson pass for a HCHS interception at the Bears’ six-yard line, preventing a possible touchdown.

Neither team could mount much offense for the rest of the half and the teams headed to the locker-room at half-time with the Warriors still clinging to that 7-0 lead.

The Bears came out fired up to begin the third quarter. On the opening kickoff of the half Kevin Chavis took the ball 89 yards to paydirt to get Hertford County on the scoreboard and make it a 7-6 game. Ackerman Grace’s extra-point attempt was wide right, leaving Hunt with a one-point lead with 11:47 left in the 3^rd.

The Bear defense then got the Warriors to cough up the ball on their first possession as Beverly recovered his second fumble of the night, this time on the Hunt 26.

Hertford County then went into the end zone in four plays, capped by an Anthony Lassiter four-yard touchdown run to give the Bears their first lead of the night at 12-7. HCHS’s two-point conversion run was stopped, leaving the visitors with a five-point lead with 8:32 left in the third.

Hunt went four-and-out and after punting to the Bears, Hertford County missed a chance to put more points on the board when Grace missed a 26-yard field goal.

Hunt took over, but was stopped and had to kick away again. This time Hertford County took it to the three-yard line before they were stopped early in the fourth quarter. Coach Scott Privott decided to try another field goal and this time Grace split the uprights from 20-yards out for a 15-7 lead with 9:42 left in the game.

A desperate Hunt then mounted a quick four-play drive for their second score. Barnes went on another long run – this time from 82 yards out after a Hunt penalty. A two-point conversion run by Ty Keen knotted the score at 15-all with 8:01 left in the 4^th.

On Hunt’s next drive the Bears coughed up the ball for a fourth time and Hertford County’s O’Shane Ximines recovered on the Hunt 30.

That’s when Weaver engineered a five-play drive capped by the Weaver-to-Monger connection that produced the go-ahead score for the Bears again with 3:25 left in the game. The kick was missed again, leaving the score 21-15.

Hunt drove to midfield but were stopped on fourth down with less than two minutes left. Hertford County then ran out the clock for their second win of the young season.

The Bears (2-0) will play their first home game next Friday night against Rocky Mount at Bear Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m.