The Raiders took possession with 6:33 remaining and Ursuline ahead 24-17. Harding then went 73 yards in 12 plays, with Marco Patierno scoring on a 4-yard run with 45 seconds remaining.

The Irish began their last possession on their 27 and failed to get a first down.

“We did a lot of things well, but (Harding) just made a few more plays in the end,” said Ursuline coach Dan Reardon, whose team fell to 3-2. “Our defense played great for three-and-a-half quarters, with an exception of a play or two. Our offense played well for three quarters. But we gave up a late touchdown, and we didn’t score in the fourth quarter. Those are the things which cost you ballgames when you play good competition.”

The Raiders (2-3) converted two third downs and a fourth down on the winning march.

Staff photo / R. Michael Semple DeMarcus McElroy of Ursuline finds running room Friday night against Harding.

Patierno ran for 3 yards on a third-and-one, and tight end Quincy Brown hauled in a crucial 26-yard pass on a third-and-5 that moved the ball to the Ursuline 14 . Then quarterback Elijah Taylor barely earned a first down on a fourth-and-inches sneak at the Irish 5 with 1:01 left.

“We just couldn’t get that final stop,” Reardon said. “We stopped them on third and inches and then they convert the next play.”

Dante Walker opened the scoring on a 33-yard run, but Ursuline tried a fake PAT kick and Matthew Reardon was stopped short.

Reardon converted a fake punt on Ursuline’s next possession, a 14-yard gain on fourth-and-1. Reardon then threw to usual quarterback Brady Shannon for 56 yards to set up what eventually was a 9-yard touchdown from Shannon to Reardon and a 12-0 lead.

“(Ursuline) looked sharp in the first half and had some things clicking,” Harding coach Steve Arnold said. “Both teams gave away a few fumbles, but the one right before half hurt because we would’ve had the lead at half. Then (Ursuline) drove right down for a touchdown to begin the third quarter, and we were a little concerned.”

The Raiders used a 26-yard scoring pass from Taylor to Dom Foster with 2:43 left before halftime. They forced a fumble on the next drive and had a first-and-goal at the Irish 5 before losing the ball on a fumble of their own with 1:18 left before halftime.

Ursuline took an 18-7 lead on a 19-yard TD run from Walker to begin the third period, but the Raiders responded with a 48-yard TD pass from Taylor to Konyae Redd. Both teams missed extra-point kicks and the score was 18-13.

The teams again traded touchdowns before the end of the third quarter, with DeMarcus McElroy scoring on a 1-yard run for the Irish, and Brysen Powell scoring on a 15-yard gallop for the Raiders. But Ursuline didn’t convert its PAT pass, and Harding did, as the score was 24-21 Irish heading into the fourth period.

“Outstanding high school football game, but we came up on the short end,” coach Reardon said.