Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Ed Bailey | The Alex City Outlook

Despite trailing 22-8 in the second quarter, the Horseshoe Bend Generals came back to win 42-36 over Thorsby in a Friday night nailbiter.

The Rebels caught the Generals on their heels with the first play from scrimmage on a reverse that put Thorsby on the 8-yard line. Thorsby punched it in and converted for two to go up 8-0.

After a three and out, Thorsby again marched the ball into the endzone to increase their lead to 16-0.

Horseshoe Bend’s Major Abernathy took control of the Generals offense on their next drive, stinging together a handful of keepers and to put them in range on the 8-yard line. Abernathy slipped in and Jordan Funderburk grabbed the 2-point coversion to cut the lead in half.

With 8:06 left in the second, Thorsby tacked on another six points, failing to convert for two to make it 22-8.

Abernathy, who carried it 23 yards for 168 yards and three touchdowns, again proved to be a threat on the ground. Abernathy slipped in on a 16-yard keeper to bring the game back to 22-16 after a successful two point conversion.

The Generals remained down going into the half, but once the third quarter began the Generals went on the offensive.

“I told them to keep fighting and keep playing with a lot of effort,” Franklin said of his halftime pep talk. “They got out there and played their tail off.”

The Generals proved to have a trick up their sleeve, with Jordan Funderburk taking a handoff from Abernathy only to throw 66 yards to Brady Fuller, who took it into the endzone. They settled for the point after and jumped to their first lead of the game.

On Thorsby’s next possession, Hunter White took the ball straight out of the hands of a Rebel to grab the ball back.

Abernathy went 27 yards on his own the next play to increase the lead to 29-22. The PAT was blocked.

With Thorsby knocking on the Generals’ front door, Horsesehoe Bend forced a key fumble to grab the ball back. While it appeared the Generals would go three and out, a roughing the kicker call on the punt kept the drive alive. Abernathy would later find Funderburk for 28 yards to make it a two-possession ball game, 36-22.

With 4 minutes remaining in the fourth, however, Thorsby had managed to knot it up 36-36.

Abernathy had one last touchdown in him, however. With 0:51 remaining, the senior quarterback brought the tally to 42-36.

“We answered every punch in the mouth that they gave us,” Franklin said. “We had guys falling out, and we lost out tailback, Drew Hill, probably for the year. There are some people that are probably down on (Abernathy) tonight, but he played one of the best football games I have seen. We got back to where we needed to be this week.”

In the air, Abernathy went 10-for-17, chalking up 105 yards and 1 touchdown. Funderburk, in addition to tossing a 66-yard touchdown pass, led the Generals in receiving with 6 catches for 87 yards and one touchdown.

Fuller was the General’s defensive juggernaut for the night with 10 tackles.