Remsen St. Mary's nearly got the best of No. 4 Ar-We-Va Friday night. The host Hawks rallied late in the fourth quarter from their 28-7 deficit to miss defeating the Rockets by one point as RSM fell 28-27.

With just eight seconds left in regulation, Skyler Higgins jumped across the goal line on a two-yard run to pull the Hawks within one, down 28-27.

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"We made the decision to go for the extra point to tie it up," RSM coach Ken Hajek said. We felt at that time that if we could have tied the game up, we were running the ball so well at the end of the game that we felt very comfortable scoring [in overtime]. Our odds were good if we got to overtime with all our scoring those last eight minutes."

Unfortunately, the PAT kick attempt failed, leaving the Hawks with a 28-27 loss on their home field.

In the first half, the Rockets got off on the right foot, building up a 14-0 lead over the Hawks by half-time.

Ar-We-Va continued to lead as they added a third touchdown in the third quarter, extending their lead to 21-0.

Near the end of the third quarter, the Hawks found the end-zone for the first time of the night on a 36-yard run by Zane Phillips. Billy Steichen tacked on the extra point with the PAT kick and the Hawks were on the board.

Down 21-7, St. Mary's gave up another touchdown with eight minutes to go in the game.

The Hawks dug themselves into a 21-point hole with just eight minutes to go, needing to get on the scoreboard several times in the remaining minutes of the game.

And they did just that.

The Hawks started their rally with a quick two-yard run by Higgins. Another extra point cut the Rockets' lead in half and pulled RSM within 14 points.

Neil Loutsch struck next, cutting down the Rockets' padding with a 30-yard fumble recovery for an RSM touchdown. The PAT kick was good and the Hawks were within one score of victory.

With 20 seconds to go, Higgins reached the end-zone on a two-yard run. However, the failed PAT kick left the Hawks one point shy of the tie. So instead of forcing overtime, RSM ended the game after having scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

Offensively, the Hawks drummed up 285 yards on the ground, led by Phillips. The sophomore running back carried the ball 31 times for 185 yards and a touchdown. Higgins added 72 yards on 19 attempts plus a pair of touchdown runs.

Through the air, Higgins completed three of eight pass attempts for 21 yards. His main target was Tanner Kockler, who pulled down two passes for 16 yards.

The St. Mary's offense committed two turnovers on the night - a fumble and an interception - which Coach Hajek called "very costly."

On a better note, Hajek was pleased with the limited penalties against his squad. RSM only gave up eight yards in penalties. "We were happy," Hajek said. "That's a good game for us."

The Hawks dished out a powerful night of defense against Ar-We-Va. Despite giving up 210 rushing yards and 143 passing yards, RSM held the Rockets to 28 points while forcing several turnovers.

Josh Schiltz wrapped up an interception while Loutsch and Nathan Ruhland each recorded a fumble recovery. Loutsch's fumble recovery was returned 30 yards for a touchdown in the crucial final minutes of the fourth quarter.

"We're very happy defensively," Hajek said. "Their four touchdowns were on four big plays - they were 25 yards or more out. Defensively, one of our goals is to prevent the big play from occurring. We just let the big plays hurt us this time. But I'm happy with the way our kids performed."

Leading tacklers on the RSM defense were Schiltz, Christopher Loutsch and Phillips. Schiltz made 10 stops in the game while Loutsch and Phillips each wrapped up eight tackles. Loutsch also brought down the Rocket quarterback with the Hawks' only sack of the night.

Up next for RSM is a cross-town district battle with Remsen-Union Friday night. The Hawks (2-2, 3-3) look to maintain playoff hopes as they take on the Rockets, who at 4-0 in the district and 5-1 overall sit at the top of the district standings. R-U defeated Spalding Catholic Friday night in Granville by a score of 54-28.

With the win, Ar-We-Va remains 6-0 on the season and is one of the 38 teams across the state - in all classes - to maintain a perfect record through six weeks of action.