Touchdown in final seconds leads West Branch over Alliance, 42-35

ALLIANCE, Ohio – It took all 48 minutes, but West Branch escaped with a 42-35 win over Alliance Friday night.

With the Warriors trailing 35-34 in the waning seconds, sophomore running back Boston Mulinax scored on a 9-yard run to give West Branch the lead. A successful two-point conversion made it 42-35.

West Branch (8-1) led the game 34-21 after three quarters, but the Aviators got two fourth quarter touchdowns to take the lead.

Quarterback Brendan Zurbrugg hit Rahmir Hawkins for a 32-yard touchdown and Youngstown State commit Kayden Davis scored on a 3-yard touchdown run.

And then came the heroics. With the ball at the Alliance 9-yard-line with 14 seconds left and no timeouts, the Warriors decided to run the ball. Mulinax made that decision pay off when he found the endzone.

The two teams alternated scores in the first half, with West Branch quarterback Dru DeShields throwing three touchdown passes and Alliance getting rushing touchdowns from Zurbrugg and Davis.

With West Branch leading 21-14 after two quarters, DeShields used his legs for two third quarter touchdowns before Alliance made its comeback.

Photo Gallery (photos by Jeff Harwell)