Richmond Hill High School fell just short of knocking off one of the top teams in the state Friday, falling 27-24 to Ware County (6-1, 4-0).

The loss drops Richmond Hill to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Region 3-AAAAA, but the Wildcats gave the Gators all they could handle and then some.

"There are moral victories," RHHS coach Lyman Guy said. "I know coaches like to say there are no such thing as moral victories, and that’s a good cliché for powerhouse programs that have built a winning tradition. But when you’re building your program as we are and knowing we just competed at a high level against a very good football team, to me that’s a good moral victory."

Yet early on, Richmond Hill found itself in a hole.

The Wildcats turned the ball over on their first possession, leading to one Gator score and by halftime Ware was up 14-0.

The second half was a different ballgame.

Players were fired up in warmups prior to the second half and words of encouragement were spread out from player to player.

"Don’t give up," Dominique Allen, Zach Stegner and numerous others chanted.

Read the full story in the Oct. 24 issue of the Bryan County News. See a preview of the Bradwell game Thursday evening in the Sports Blog.