In as close a game as any team would want to take part in, the Paden City Wildcats and Cameron Dragons battled to the very end in Cameron on Friday night, with the Dragons prevailing in the end, 20-19.

In a game where junior quarterback Zach Heasley would put the ball in the air 34 times and collect 230 yards, Paden City was well on their way to their third win of the season when Cameron stopped them to turn the ball over with just over a minute to go in the fourth. With 37 seconds left on the time clock, the Dragons’ Logan Routt scored the final six points of the night to take the win by one, 20-19.

“It was a tight game all the way through,” said Paden City Head Coach Brent Croasmun. “We knew they were going to match-up with us pretty good, and with a game like this it’s the team that makes the fewest mistakes that takes home the win. And that’s exactly what happened.”

“We can’t afford to let down. Zach had a heck of a game and our defense stopped them. Just in other instances we made too many mistakes.”

Paden City rushed for 80 yards and had 230 passing yards for a total of 310 total yards in the game. Cameron had 193 yards on the ground and 119 passing yards for a total of 212 yards.

On the offensive side of the ball, junior Brandon Cross rushed 16 times to gain 33 yards and scored a touchdown for the Green and White. Kane Pyles rushed five times for seven yards.

The leading receiver for the Wildcats was Deven Price who caught five passes for 110 yards, including one touchdown; Cross had six catches for 40 yards and a touchdown; Craig Allen, three catches for 25 yards; Hayden Hizer, four catches for 27 yards; and Luke Cooper had two catches for 18 yards.

Spencer Billings led the defense with 15 tackles, 10 of them solos; Logan Carroll had 12 tackles; Cooper had 11 tackles and caused a fumble; Pyles, nine tackles; Cross, seven tackles, two for a loss, one interception, and one fumble recovery; Heasley had six tackles; and Isaac Hall was credited with six tackles.

The Wildcats will travel to Conotton Valley on Saturday for a 7 p.m. game with the 0-5 Rockets.