LAWRENCEBURG, Tenn. ? For the third consecutive week, the Lawrence County Wildcats (1-3) struggled at home, as they fell to the Spring Hill Raiders (2-2) 29-21 at Hendrix-Staggs Stadium on Friday night.

The ?Cats came out early and forced a turnover on downs on their first defensive possession, and on the ensuing drive, Lawrence County moved the ball well. They were, however, unable to come away with any points as Nick Campbell?s field goal attempt sailed wide to the left, and at the end of the first quarter, the game was scoreless. In the second quarter, Spring Hill quarterback Magwan Smith began to have success against the Wildcats? defense, as the Raiders scored on consecutive possessions to take a 13-0 lead. Garrick Barnett and the ?Cats answered late in the quarter, as Barnett found Matt Roberson for an 11-yard touchdown, cutting the Raider lead to 13-7 with just over three minutes remaining. On the ensuing possession, the ?Cats had Spring Hill in a third down and long situation, but poor tackling allowed Raider tailback Ned McCaster to scamper 41 yards for a touchdown with 29 second left. Smith ran in for the two-point conversion, and at the break, Spring Hill held a 21-7 advantage.

For the second week in a row, the Wildcats came out after the break playing more focused football, and Matt Hartsfield ran for his first touchdown since week zero, a 60-yard jaunt that cut the Raider lead to 21-14. The next Spring Hill drive saw Lawrence County?s defense stiffen for the first time on the night, forcing the Raiders to punt for the second time in the game. Lawrence County brought pressure and got a partial block on the Raider punt, allowing ?Cats return man Tyler Jones to catch the punt on a dead run, returning it for what appeared to be the tying touchdown. The return was called back on an illegal block in the back, but three plays later, Hartsfield carried it in from 14 yards out for the tying score, his second touchdown of the game. The Raiders, however, continued to take advantage of the, at times, over-aggressive Wildcats? defense, and Smith continued to run wild. On third and 15 with just over 5 minutes to go, Smith took off on a 77 yard run that swung the momentum back to the Raiders, and moments later, Smith carried it in from the one-yard line for his second touchdown of the game. The Raider quarterback then ran for his second two point conversion of the night giving the Raiders the 29-21 lead. Barnett and the Wildcats did not go away, however, methodically moving the ball down the field to the Spring Hill 10-yard line with 57 seconds to go. Spring Hill stiffened defensively, though, forcing the Wildcats to spend their second timeout of the half with 10 seconds left in a fourth down and 14 situation. Out of the timeout, Barnett took the snap, faded back and found a wide-open Matt Roberson in the right corner of the endzone, but it was not meant to be as the ball slipped through Roberson?s hands, falling to the turf and giving the Raiders the 29-21 win. Magwan Smith carried the ball 24 times for the Raiders, racking up 178 yards and two scores in the win.

The Wildcats continue their season Friday night, when they travel to Centerville to take on the Hickman County Bulldogs (1-3, 0-1) in the second region 5-4A matchup of the season for both teams. Kickoff is slated for 7:00.