Fourth down was both a boon and a bane for the Fulton Hornets.
In Friday night's 125th meeting between Fulton and the rival Mexico Bulldogs at Robert E. Fisher Jr. Stadium, the Hornets defiantly chipped away at a double-digit deficit - whittling it down to five points - by delivering a pair of fourth-and-goal scores.
Conversely, Fulton was also turned away twice on fourth down inside Mexico's 10-yard line in the second half and the Bulldogs curbed the Hornets' comeback to seal a 40-20 NCMC win in the annual Highway 54 Bowl.
"We came out in the second half and did exactly what we needed to do, got ourselves back in the game," Fulton head coach Pat Kelley said. "You know, you get inside the 10-yard line, you've got to finish drives and we left 14 points (off) the scoreboard that really hurt."
The loss left the Hornets at 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the North Central Missouri Conference. Mexico - ranked eighth in Class 3 - improved to 6-2 on the season and 4-1 in conference play, keeping possession of the Highway 54 sign for the fourth straight year.
"They (kids) played their hearts out, they did an outstanding job," Kelley said. "We knew Mexico was good - I've told them that three of our four losses are to ranked teams. We're close, we're just not there yet.
"We've got to play every play, and that's what we talked about coming into this game. When you play good teams, you've got to play every play, and there were some times tonight we didn't play every play - and it cost us."
Fulton had done little on offense, managing only 58 total yards, and was down 19-0 when senior quarterback Devin Masek threw his third interception of the first half with 1 minute, 52 seconds left. Junior running back Cameron Holman inexplicably threw an option pass on Mexico's first play and it was picked off by Hornets junior cornerback Makygh Galbreath near midfield and he returned it to the Bulldogs' 43.
Masek moved Fulton into scoring position and after three consecutive incompletions, he scrambled right on fourth down and found senior wide receiver Alec Fleetwood along the right side of the end zone. Fleetwood planted his feet firmly inbounds and pulled in Masek's throw for a 10-yard touchdown with just :15 to play.
"We were really calm, I just said, 'Hey, we're in the game,'" Kelley told his players at the break.
After the two teams exchanged three-and-out possessions to start the second half, the Hornets helped themselves when Fleetwood recovered a fumble on a punt at Mexico's 17. Five plays later, Masek flipped a 2-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver L'Trevion Vaughn on another pivotal fourth down and junior kicker Jacob Kern added the extra point to bring Fulton within 19-14 with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter.
The Hornets put themselves in position to take the lead when they hopped on a fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the Bulldogs' 35. Fulton drove inside Mexico's 10 and a 2-yard run by Masek gave the Hornets a first down at the 4. However, Fulton was forced to turn the ball over on downs after an incompletion, a 1-yard gain by sophomore running back Taeon Logan and two more incompletions.
Two plays later, the Bulldogs jolted the Hornets when junior running back Michael White slipped through a seam off left tackle and bolted 97 yards for a touchdown with 3:00 remaining in the quarter. To compound the stunning score, Mexico recovered a Fulton fumble on the following kickoff at the Hornets' 38.
After a pair of 5-yard plays - folded around a Fulton personal-foul penalty - Holman scored on a 12-yard touchdown run with 2:00 to play in the period. The Bulldogs tacked on the extra point to suddenly push their advantage to 32-14.
The Hornets, though, had a fast answer on the first play of their next series. Masek threw a screen pass into the left flat to Vaughn, who then raced 66 yards for a touchdown with 1:43 to go.
After forcing Mexico to go three-and-out on its following possession early in the fourth quarter, Fulton had another opportunity to close the gap when it drove 67 yards to the Bulldogs' 6. However, after three incompletions, Masek was sacked for a 16-yard loss on fourth down and Mexico took over.
With the Hornets limited to 28 yards rushing on 28 carries, Masek - playing with an ailing right shoulder - was 20-of-47 passing for 293 yards.
"He did an outstanding job and he's playing hurt," Kelley said. " That's why we didn't run him. We're trying to protect him - hopefully it can heal and get better.
"He does have (a short memory on interceptions). The first one he just didn't get enough on it, the second one was tipped. He came right back and he understands, and he's a great student of the game and he's a great leader for us."
Fleetwood topped the Hornets with eight catches for 123 yards and Vaughn had five receptions for 97 yards.
The Bulldogs closed out the victory on junior quarterback Deion Wayman's 46-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Matthew Huffman with 2:19 left in the game.
Fulton ends the regular season this week with an NCMC trip to Kirksville. The Tigers (3-4, 3-2) played a non-conference game against Helias in Jefferson City on Saturday night. Results were not available at press time.
The Hornets would appear to be in control of fourth place in the Class 3, District 6 standings with 32.41 points. Winfield (2-5) follows in fifth place with 24.44 points.
If nothing changes, Fulton would get a first-round District 6 home matchup - likely against Winfield - on Oct. 21.
"We want to get momentum, we talk about hosting," Kelley said. "We feel like that if we win that (Kirksville) game, there's no way we can't host, and that's kind of our goal right now."
Notes: A moment of silence was observed and balloons were released between the first and second quarters Friday night in memory of Antawan Ferguson, a 2010 Fulton graduate and former Hornets running back. The 25-year-old Ferguson was killed in a car accident last Tuesday.
Ferguson - an all-district and all-NCMC selection - rushed for 2,242 yards and scored 25 touchdowns in his career with the Hornets.
"I would take Antawan every year," Kelley said. "He wasn't that big, his heart was big. He showed up to practice every day, he worked - everything he did in practice was awesome, and in the game.
"He never dogged it, never complained, never wanted to sit out, never dodged anything. That's what I'll remember the most about him - he just worked hard all the time."