Sawyer Wilson ran for 154 yards and a touchdown and Cole McConathy racked up seven sacks as Spanish Fort defeated McGill-Toolen 33-24 in a key Class 6A, Region 1 game Friday night on the Hill.

It didn’t come easy for the Toros.

Spanish Fort (5-3, 4-2) built a 30-10 lead early in the fourth quarter before McGill-Toolen (4-3, 3-2) scored 14 straight points to close the game to just 30-24 with time still remaining on the clock.

But Lucas Breaux kicked a 35-yard field goal with 1:39 left to finally seal the win for Chase Smith’s team. It was Spanish Fort’s third straight victory after starting the year 2-3.

Smith called it a “gritty” win for his team.

Spanish Fort led 16-10 at halftime as Wilson scored the first of his two touchdowns when he recovered the ball in the end zone after Brayden Walker fumbled at the goal line. Less than three minutes later, UAB commit Jake Godfrey hit a wide-open Anthony Passarelli on a double-pass play for a 58-yard score and a 13-0 lead. Breaux’s 37-yard field goal made it 16-0.

McGill-Toolen sophomore quarterback Andrew Murchison, who took hit after hit but kept getting up, cut the Toro lead to 16-7 on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Galvin following a fake punt that kept the drive alive earlier. Henry Green’s 26-yard field goal made it 16-10 with 36.6 seconds left in the quarter.

The Toros started the second half, splitting carries each between Sawyer Wilson and Nehemiah Hixon. Wilson’s last carry for 44 yards on 2nd-and-8 made it 23-10 Spanish Fort with 9:41 left in the third quarter. Khamron Jackson’s 17-yard touchdown eventually made it 30-10.

McGill wasn’t done. The Yellow Jackets moved from their 20 behind Murchison’s passing. He went 6-of-7 for 72 yards on the drive and completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Alex Shamburger to make it 30-17.

Shamburger helped the Jackets cut into the lead further later in the quarter when he intercepted his second pass of the night. That led to Murchison’s 2-yard TD pass to Roscoe Haywood to get McGill within 30-24 with 2:43 left.

Star of the game: Wilson had 24 carries for 154 yards, including his 44-yard touchdown.

Stat sheet: Spanish Fort outgained McGill-Toolen, 345-237, despite running fewer plays, 66-48. The Toros lost the turnover battle, 4-1.

Coachspeak: “We need to continue to fix mistakes. We believe in the kids. It was a gritty win to build off of. … We consistently are inconsistent, but we found a way to step it up and win.” — Spanish Fort head coach Chase Smith.

They said it: “We felt like in the second half we were a touchdown and PAT from the lead, but they (Spanish Fort) had a great game plan. Our defense was exceptional. Shamburger had a couple interceptions, played well. Our offense gave us a chance, played hard. We came up short.”- McGill-Toolen head coach Norman Joseph

Next week: Spanish Fort travels to Robertsdale; McGill-Toolen hosts Theodore.