LEANDER — For the third time this season, regulation wasn’t enough time to settle the score for Lake Belton. And for the third time, the Broncos came up big when it mattered most.

Lake Belton fought off Leander Glenn for a 42-41 overtime victory that was a battle from start to finish Friday night, with the squads trading blows throughout before Lake’s defense had the final say after the Broncos scored a touchdown on their OT possession.

Opting to go for the win after Evan Blair’s 7-yard touchdown run, the Grizzlies offense stayed on the field and put the ball in the hands of Jason Ortiz for the 2-point conversion. Lake’s Jeremiah Battreall quickly met the running back well behind the line of scrimmage and was reinforced by a brigade of other Broncos, sealing their win.

“Once he came outside, I thought he was going to run past me. I stuck my hand out, grabbed him, slowed him down a little and the rest of my team came in and hit him,” Battreall said.

Glenn (2-4, 0-3 District 8-5A-I) struck first in the back-and-fourth second half as Keaton Gordon finished a 12-play 75-yard drive with a 3-yard run to take a 21-14 lead.

It appeared Lake’s next drive would be a quick three-and-out until Maverik Maddux found Zach Dodd on a short route, and the receiver turned up field for a 73-yard score that tied it at 21.

“We ran it once in the first half and I screwed up,” Maddux said. “I saw Zach down there and I was like, ‘Can’t make that mistake twice.’ I knew he was going to be open.”

The Broncos (4-2, 2-1) hopped on a fumble on the following possession and needed just two plays to take a 28-21 lead when Maddux found Xavier Wells open behind the defense for a touchdown connection.

Glenn leveled the score at 28 on the first play of the fourth quarter when Ortiz broke off a 43-yard TD run. Tekoa Martin fumbled on Lake’s next play, and the Grizzlies covered 57 yards with two snaps. After Blair was chased down just short of the end zone, Dakota Dubelbeis ran for a 4-yard score that gave Glenn a 35-28 lead.

The Broncos responded again by driving 60 yards, 36 of which were picked up by Davion Peters. Maddux found Wells on a 6-yard TD toss to even the total at 35.

Both teams got into field goal range during their final drives of regulation. Wells blocked the attempt by Armando Don Juan, and Lake’s Tommy Stephens pushed his try wide left.

Martin scored on Lake’s overtime possession with a 6-yard run when he found a lane and bolted untouched into the end zone. The play was set up by Maddux’s 17-yard pass to Dodd two plays earlier.

Martin’s first carry of the night went for 60 yards before he was chased down at the Glenn 6. Owens was called in to punch in the score after the Broncos reached the 1, leveling the score at 7.

Martin found another gap in the second quarter and needed to make just one cut to pick up 58 yards and set up Lake on the Glenn 2. He took a handoff on the next play to the 1 before Maddux scored on a keeper to give Lake its first lead of the night at 14-7.

Martin finished with 184 yards rushing.

The Grizzlies’ first drive was methodical as they worked down the field in 12 plays, including two fourth-down conversions. Glenn didn’t have a gain of more than five yards until the ninth play when Blair broke off a 21-yard run to the Lake 6, and the Grizzlies cashed in with a 5-yard TD run from Gordon to make the score 7-0.

Blair continued to cause problems for Lake as he had a 24-yard reception and a 19-yard run on the Grizzlies’ other first-half scoring drive, a 10-play, 75-yard march that was capped by De’marcus Davis on an outside run that leveled the scoring at 14 apiece.

Blair finished with 139 yards rushing.

LAKE BELTON 42, LEANDER GLENN 41 (OT)

Lake Belton 7 7 14 7 7 — 42

Glenn 7 7 7 14 6 — 41

Gle — Keaton Gordon 5 run (Armando Don Juan kick)

LB — Gavin Owens 1 run (Tommy Stephens kick)

LB — Maverik Maddux 1 run (Stephens kick)

Gle — De’marcus Davis 3 run (Don Juan kick)

Gle — Gordon 3 run (Don Juan kick)

LB — Zach Dodd 73 pass from Maddux (Stephens kick)

LB — Xavier Wells 32 pass from Maddux (Stephens kick)

Gle — Jason Ortiz 43 run (Don Juan kick)

Gle — Dakota Dubelbeis 4 run (Don Juan kick)

LB — Wells 7 pass from Maddux (Stephens kick)

LB — Tekoa Martin 5 run (Stephens kick)

Gle — Evan Blair 7 run (run failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

LB Gle

First downs 23 23

Rushes-yards 29-244 57-393

Passing yards 182 63

Comp.-Att.-Int. 10-20-1 2-5-0

Punts-average 2-36.5 3-34.7

Fumbles-lost 2-1 3-1

Penalties-yards 4-30 8-53

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Lake Belton: Martin 15-184, Davion Peters 8-68, Zion Harness 1-5, Noah Gonzalez 1-0, Maddux 3-(-6), team 1-(-7); Glenn: Blair 12-139, Ortiz 10-94, Gordon 11-55, Dublebois 10-41, De’marcus Davis 5-35, Peter Sura 6-21, Jayden Mayberry 2-5, Austin White 1-3.

PASSING — Lake Belton: Maddux 10-20-1-182; Glenn: Dublebois 2-5-0-63.

RECEIVING — Lake Belton: Dodd 4-104, Wells 2-39, Peters 2-21, Harness 1-12, Tyrrence Taylor 1-6; Glenn: Cooper Johnson 1-39, Blair 1-24.

TDT - Will Hopkins