With just over two minutes remaining, Salado Eagles were driving in Connally Cadet territory on a third-and-two when for the first time in the game an official pulled the flag from his pocket against the Eagles. The false start call moved the Eagles back five yards and changed the entire outcome of the game.

Salado, which had been chipping away at the Connally Cadets a few yards at a time, failed to convert the third down and on fourth-and-6, with 1:24 left in the game, Hutton Haire rolled out of the pocket and his pass to Wrook Brown was intercepted by Connally’s Korie Black at the Cadet 5 yard line.

The Cadets, ranked No. 2 in state by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, took the ball and held on for a 28-21 homecoming win over the Eagles. The Cadets are now 5-0 and 1-0 in District 8-4A Div. 2, while Salado drops to 3-2 and 0-1 in district play.

Two out of the three times Salado went to the air, it ended badly. Earlier in the fourth, facing fourth-and-four at the Connally 21, Haire threw to Cole Maedgen in the end zone, but the ball was deflected by Keagan Alejo to force the Eagles to turn the ball over on downs.

The Cadets took the ball and drove 79 yards in six plays to retake the lead 28-21 with 4:34 left in the game. Jay’veon Sunday, whose bruising style of running was good for 209 yards on 23 carries, scored on a 52-yard blast through the middle of a defense that had held the all-star running back in check up to that point. Ralph Morales converted his fourth PAT kick for the 28-21 lead.

The Eagles took their homecoming host off-guard by scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions.

Salado drove 75 yards in 11 plays and six minutes on the opening possession of the game. Haire bulled in behind his center Joe Sampson for a 2-yard score with 6:03 in the first. Brown kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead.

Latrell Jenkins intercepted Gaither’s first pass on the Cadets’ first play from scrimmage to set up the Eagles near midfield.

Salado took just  eight plays to drive 52 yards, scoring on a 5-yard run by Noah Mescher with 2:49 left in the first. Brown kicked the PAT for a 14-0 to quiet the Connally crowd.

Connally answered with a 70-yard, 10-play drive, capped by Sunday’s 1-yard dive. Morales kicked the PAT to keep the game close at 14-7.

The Cadets stopped Salado on a four-and-five near midfield and then drove 58 yards in eight plays with Sunday scoring from the 8-yard line with 2:37 left in the second. Morales’ PAT kick tied the score 14-14.

Salado threatened to score again in the final seconds of the first half, but Turk lost the ball at the Connally 17-yard line to allow the Cadets to run out the clock and receive the kick for the second half.

The Cadets took the second half kick and in eight plays drove 69 yards. Sunday accounted for 33 of those yards on his TD run through the defense. Morales kicked the PAT to give the Cadets their first lead of the game 21-14.

The Eagles responded with a 63-yard drive, taking nine plays with Brown running behind the blocks of Sibbit and Sampson on a fourth-and-two for a 17-yard touchdown with 4:20 left in the in third. Brown added the extra point to knot the score at 21-21.

Connally looked as if it reciprocate, driving from their own 17 to the Salado 24 before the defense caused Sunday to cough up the ball, recovered at the 26 by Mescher to end the third quarter.

Brown carried for 9 yards and a flag for a personal foul moved the ball to midfield for Salado. The Eagles pushed the ball to the Cadet 21-yard line, where they faced a fourth-and-four. Salado failed to convert the play when Connally’s Alejo broke up a pass in the end zone with 7:26 left in the game.

Connally then drove 79 yards in three minutes, scoring on a 52-yard run by Sunday with 4:34 left to play.

A facemask call against Connally on the kick off gave Salado the ball at their own 44 with 4:29 left in the game. The Eagles were moving the ball in the final moments of the game before the costly single penalty put them in a fourth-and-six at the Cadet 42-yard line, resulting in Black’s interception at the Cadet 5-yard line to seal the game.

Greg Washington led the Eagles defense with seven tackles and an assist, followed by Ethan Scott with six tackles, four assists, Caleb Self, six tackles, four assists, Jenkins, two tackles, one assist and an interception and Noah Mescher, two tackles, three assists.