When Hartselle quarterback Landon Blackwood went out with a knee injury late in the first half Friday night, Noah Lee had to direct the offense in the second half.

Lee ran for a touchdown and completed a pass for a late first down as the sixth-ranked Tigers beat Gadsden City 31-28 in a Class 6A non-region matchup.

“I thought our offense picked each other up after Landon went down,” the junior quarterback/wide receiver said. “We knew we could win the game. We just had to go out there and do it.”

The host Tigers (4-1) led 17-14 at halftime at J.P. Cain Stadium. Noah Yates kicked a 19-yard field goal, Ri Fletcher scored on a 24-yard run and Jace Preuitt recovered a fumble in the end zone.

TJ Worthy scored four touchdowns for Gadsden City (3-2), two on runs and two on catch-and-runs.

Lincoln Bryant had a 12-yard touchdown run for Hartselle in the third quarter and Lee scored on a 3-yarder midway in the fourth.

“It was a great high school football game,” Hartselle coach Bryan Moore said. “A lot of back and forth and we just kept answering. And finally got into the four-minute offense and finished the game.”

Play of the game: After the Titans closed within 31-28 with 4:37 left, Hartselle started from their 21 and drove to the Gadsden City 10 in eight plays. Lee completed a 14-yard pass to Markus Tapscott for a first down at the 10 with 35 seconds left and the Tigers let time expire.

Stat sheet: Hartselle – Bryant had 13 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. Fletcher had 20 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown. Lee had seven carries for 29 yards and a touchdown and completed 3-of-4 passes for 37 yards. Blackwood completed 9-of-12 passes for 75 yards in the first half before leaving the game with his right knee injury. Gadsden City – Worthy had nine carries for 32 yards and scored from the 1 and 4. He had four catches for 107 yards and scored on a 56-yarder and a 32-yarder. Luke Waldrop completed 11-of-20 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns.

By the numbers: 359 – Hartselle total yards on 247 rushing and 112 passing. 358 – Gadsden City total yards on 164 rushing and 194 passing. 1 – turnover apiece for the teams, both on fumbles. 2 – Hartselle wins in two games against the Titans all-time. The Tigers won 16-9 last year.

Game ball: Give it to Lee, Bryant and Fletcher for stepping up in the second half after losing their starting quarterback.

Coachspeak: “This win is a huge momentum game for us finishing the first half of the season.” – Moore.

“We just didn’t finish. We didn’t capitalize. We made too many mistakes.” – Gadsden City coach Ali Smith.

They said it: “We came in with a game plan and the plan was to execute all the plays. The coach told us if we executed the plays the game was going to go how we wanted it to and that’s exactly what happened.” – Fletcher.

“Offensive line really stepped up and won us the game.” – Lee.

“We fought and we played a good game.” – Bryant.

Next week: Gadsden City visits Hillcrest Tuscaloosa while Hartselle hosts Oxford.