Montgomery Bears narrowly prevail over Conroe Tigers

CONROE, Texas -- Montgomery junior running back Alex Nunn streaked 44 yards down the left sideline for the game-winning touchdown with 6:38 left in the fourth quarter as the Bears narrowly prevailed in a 43-39 shootout with the Conroe Tigers on Thursday night.

Watch game highlights here.

Nunn, a big-play back with breakaway speed, finished the night with three touchdowns and 170 total yards of offense. His outstanding night eclipsed the even more eye-popping numbers of Conroe junior tailback Donaven Lloyd.

Lloyd, the Player of the Game, put the Tigers (3-3) on his back and nearly carried them to victory. He ran the ball 38 times and powered through the Bears defensive line for 251 yards and four touchdowns, and he also passed for a two-point conversion.

“In Donaven Lloyd, you’re seeing the maturation process of a great tailback,” said Conroe Head Coach Robert Walker. “I think you saw what a great tailback looks like tonight. He did an outstanding job, and I’m extremely proud of him.”

Watch player of the game here.

Between Nunn and junior quarterback Jordan Hood, Montgomery (5-2) pulled off enough big plays at enough key moments to prevail. The team converted four fourth-downs, and each of those drives resulted in touchdowns.

The Bears’ high-octane offense got a key spark from their special teams coming out of the locker room at halftime. Waverly Hampton caught the kickoff to start the third quarter, and 10 seconds later he had zigged and zagged past a series of would-be Conroe tacklers and into the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown and a 23-22 Montgomery lead. This is Hampton's third kickoff return for a touchdown this year.

Conroe responded with a confident drive that included a 66-yard pass from quarterback Colby Kizzie to DeeMarcus Jackson (Lloyd had a key block that made the pass possible). Hunter Elliott booted through a 25-yard field goal to put the Tigers back on top, and the teams kept matching each other score for score the rest of the way. The game featured a dozen lead changes.

“They’re good. They’ve moved the ball on everybody they’ve played,” Walker said. “They’re a good offense that executes well, and hats off to them.”

Kizzie had a terrific game and finished with 271 passing yards and more than 300 yards of total offense. His final big play of the night came on Conroe’s final drive. Trailing 43-39 with barely three minutes to play, he connected with Kelly McFarland on a 53-yard pass to move into the red zone. McFarland showed great concentration on the play, adjusting and coming back to the ball.

Unfortunately for Conroe, Montgomery’s defense managed to stifle the drive as the Tigers turned the ball over on downs just five yards away from a go-ahead touchdown with less than 90 seconds on the clock.

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