Southern's Alonzo Hedgepath runs for a first down by Hillside's Eric Young (99) on Friday. Photo Courtesy of Bernard Thoms/Herald-Sun Newspaper

DURHAM -- Southern quarterback Alan Lea has a short memory.



The junior had thrown three interceptions and committed a fumble in the first three quarters. But with the game on the line Friday night, Lea told his coach he wanted the ball.



The Spartans -- down by three points with roughly two minutes remaining in the game -- found themselves facing fourth-and-1 on Hillside's 2-yard line. Southern coach Adrian Jones called a timeout to weigh his options, but he didn't want to go into overtime with a field goal.



So he turned to one of his biggest playmakers -- and Lea delivered, plunging into the end zone for the winning score as Southern defeated Hillside 12-9 in a matchup of PAC-6 powers.



"I thought I had a terrible first half; ... I just told coach I was going to put it on my back," Lea said. "I just wanted the ball. I just wanted to make it happen.



"I felt I let my team down in the first half and I just wanted to come back strong in the second half."



It was a defensive struggle for most of the game, as neither team could get into an offensive rhythm. And it also was a defensive play that sealed the Spartans (3-2, 1-0) victory. After Lea's score the Hornets got the ball back on Southern's 47 -- thanks to an unsportsmanlike penalty -- with 1:46 left on the clock.



But the Hornets (3-1-1, 0-1) didn't get far, as on fourth-and-1 Sherman Ragland Jr. dropped running back Brandon China for a 5-yard loss to give his team the ball back. China led the Hornets with 48 yards on 13 carries.



"We had a lot of momentum going for us because we were stopping the current drive," Ragland said. "I had in my mind, 'Don't let them score, don't let them score' because this is my senior year."



Hillside took a 6-0 lead at the start of the second quarter -- which was set up by one of two of Medrith Hill's picks -- when quarterback Corey Gattis ran 5 yards around the right side into the end zone and the two-point conversion failed. It would be the halftime score as Southern recorded another turnover and Hillside two, one of which was a fumble at the goal line.



"[The interceptions were] my fault," Jones said. "I tried to get Alan to go down deep, and I didn't explain to him how I wanted to throw the ball so I'll take those three interceptions Alan had tonight."



Southern tied the score at the end of the third quarter when Alonzo Hedgepath capped a 50-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and the extra point bounced off the left upright. Hedgepath pounded the ball all night, finishing with a team-high 71 yards on 15 carries. Hillside took the lead on the ensuing possession as Nacrisse Mwata nailed a 25-yard field goal. But then Lea orchestrated a seven minute, 80-yard drive that ended with his touchdown, and he finished the game 10-of-15 for 117 yards.



"It was a great game," Hillside coach Ray Harrison said. "Going down to the last minute in the fourth quarter, you can't ask for any better than that."







Southern 12, Hillside 9



Southern 0 0 6 6--12



Hillside 0 6 0 3--9



Scoring Summary



H--Corey Gattis 5 run (2 point fail), 10:42 second



S--Alonzo Hedgepath 1 run (kick fail), 2:48 third



H--Nacrisse Mwata 25 kick, 9:13 fourth



S--Alan Lea 2 run (kick fail), 1:57 fourth



INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS



Rushing--Southern (Alonzo Hedgepath 15-71, Alan Lea 10-52, Lamont Pettiford 8-38, Tony Creecy 2-12, Kwindarius Sapp 1-2); Hillside (Brandon China 13-48, Corey Gattis 9-24, Jamal Williams 4-33, Harrison Gillespie 2-24, Desmond Scott 5-13).



Passing--Southern (Alan Lea 10-15, 117 yards); Hillside (Corey Gattis 10-18, 109 yards).



Receiving--Southern (Tony Creecy 6-71, Quentin Lloyd 1-23, Lamont Pettiford 1-11, Reese Wiggins 1-8, Alonzo Hedgepath 1-4); Hillside (Desmond Scott 6-55, Vad Lee 3-50, Harrison Gillespie 1-4).