CLEVELAND — White County's desperate attempt to stay alive for a playoff berth fell 28 yards short Friday night as the Warriors fell 28-21 to Denmark in a crucial Region 7-4A game for both teams.
The Warriors (4-4, 1-3 Region 7-4A) were all but eliminated for playoff contention with the loss while the Danes (6-2, 3-2) moved into third place with the win.
White County trailed 21-7 early in the third quarter before Cooper Turner and J. Ben Haynes led a furious comeback. Turner caught a 79-yard halfback pass from Riley Stancil and then hauled in a 14-yard TD pass from Haynes to pull the Warriors within 28-21 with just under 8 minutes left in the game.
The White County defense then forced the Danes on downs on a stop on fourth down in Denmark territory. The Warriors drove to the Danes 28 and faced a 4th-and-3 but a Haynes pass to a covered receiver fell short to seal the win for the Danes.
The problem for White County was Jordan Brunson, who racked up 203 yards rushing, including an electrifying 74-yard touchdown run on the game's opening play. The Danes extended the lead to 14-0 on a 1-yard TD run by Aaron McLaughlin.
White County pulled within 14-7 late in the first quarter on a 26-yard TD pass from Haynes to Jesse Thomas. It stayed that way until Denmark got a 58-yard TD run from Zach Ogbogu midway through the third quarter.
Haynes finished with 213 yards passing and another 59 rushing to lead the White County offense. Turner had 9 catches for 165 yards and Thomas snared 5 receptions for 91 yards.
