BRANSON, Mo. — For the second week in a row, the Carl Junction Bulldogs came up one point short.
And coincidentally, the score was identical.
Branson held on late for a 21-20 win over the Bulldogs on Friday night in Central Ozark Conference action. The Bulldogs suffered a 21-20 loss to Carthage last week.
The Pirates racked up three touchdowns in the first half to take a 21-0 lead.
But Carl Junction came storming back in the fourth quarter, however, and ended up within one point of the lead. But it wasn’t enough.
Everything was coming up roses for the Pirates in the first half. After a quick first possession by the Bulldogs, Branson struck quickly with a 4-yard run by Payton McCormick after a long drive, going up 7-0 with 6:38 left in the first.
On the next Carl Junction drive, the Pirates struck again, as Branson’s Josiah Hutchinson picked off a Bulldog pass, running it back for a touchdown with 5:28 left to take a 14-0 lead.
Branson (1-2) struck again with 6:33 left in the half on a 1-yard run by Cristian Berumen to go into the locker room with a 21-0 lead.
In the second half, Carl Junction put on a fierce rally.
The Bulldogs struck for a score with 1:48 left in the third quarter on a 3-yard run by Brady Sims to trim the deficit to 21-7.
At 7:52 left in the fourth, Carl Junction found the end zone again, on a 6-yard run by quarterback Kyler Perry on a keeper to make the score 21-14.
The final score of the game came with just 18 second left, when Perry fired a quick pass to Noah Southern and the score sat at 21-20. The point-after-try was no good, with Branson recovering the onside kick to preserve the win.
Carl Junction (1-2) faces Joplin (1-2) at home next week.
