Petal stole the Leaf River Rivalry opener Friday night, stunning host Hattiesburg 35-34 at D.I. Patrick Stadium after a last-minute touchdown and an extra point that should not have gone through.
The Tigers led most of the night and still held a 34-28 advantage with 1:56 remaining. Trying to kneel out the clock, Hattiesburg fumbled. Petal recovered at its own 40 with no timeouts. Quarterback Caiden Belton moved the Panthers to the Hattiesburg 24 and hit Josh Crawford for a touchdown with 1:08 left, tying the score at 34-34.
Then came the kick.
The snap sailed high. Instead of aborting the play, the holder still put the ball down. Defenders swarmed both him and the kicker. The kicker stutter-stepped, thinking the holder would bail out, then simply leaned forward and kicked in an unorthodox motion as bodies crashed in.
The game announcer first called it blocked, then reacted in amazement as the ball cleared the uprights. Officials signaled good. Petal led 35-34.
Hattiesburg could not answer in the final minute. The Panthers left with their first lead of the night and a 1-0 start.
Tre McQueen’s 84-yard touchdown had earlier stretched the Tigers’ lead to 34-21. Chavez Walker’s six-yard run kept Petal alive before the fumble flipped the rivalry in a span of seconds.
