MIDLOTHIAN — Lake Belton’s bid for its first postseason football victory came up just short Friday night.

The Broncos drove deep into Midlothian territory in the final minute but couldn’t reach the goal line, falling 35-30 to the Panthers in a Class 5A Division I bi-district game at Midlothian ISD Multi-Purpose Stadium.

Trailing 35-30, Lake got as close as 3 yards to the end zone before a penalty and a stout Midlothian defense held strong, keeping Lake from taking back the lead.

The Broncos (7-4) were hampered by penalties at crucial junctures throughout the matchup, finishing with eight for 65 yards.

“We didn’t overcome (penalties) the way we needed to win the game,” Lake head coach Brian Cope said.

Lake’s defense managed to stuff Midlothian quarterback Beau Wendel on fourth-and-2 with 1:15 remaining, giving the offense one last chance.

Broncos junior quarterback Maverik Maddux led the campaign, connecting with Zion Harness on passes of 16 and 18 yards to get the Broncos within sight of the end zone. Running out of time, Maddux then tried to find a target running down the sideline, but Midlothian’s Dejasper Webb leaped to intercept the pass and sealed Lake’s fate.

Davion Peters led the Broncos with 157 yards rushing and four touchdowns. The utility man also caught 10 passes for 78 yards.

“We went in trying to feed him the football, and he did everything that we asked,” Cope said. “I’m proud of that young man. He plays with passion.”

Peters gave the Broncos a 7-0 lead less than 3 minutes into the contest when the junior took a direct snap and found an opening. He broke down to toward the outside and was sprung free by a crucial block from Christian Onchweri that allowed Peters to trot down the sideline for the 34-yard score.

The Panthers (9-2) answered on their second drive when Kayden Gibson bolted through a gap in the line and went untouched for a 49-yard TD run to even the tally at 7. Midlothian grabbed a 14-7 lead on its next offensive play, with Beau Wendel throwing to Brendyn Jackson for an 81-yard score after a Lake defender lost his footing.

The Broncos used a flea-flicker on their following drive to set up senior Hunter Hutchins for a 34-yard field goal that cut Midlothian’s lead to 14-10.

Lake had the Panthers facing third-and-18 on the ensuing drive, but Wendel and Jackson connected again for a 38-yard completion to keep the march alive. Wendel’s two passes to Jackson were his only completions of the night.

The Panthers continued down the field, and David Aborisade punched in a 1-yard run to finish the 12-play, 70-yard drive and give Midlothian a 21-10 lead.

That’s when Peters found his rhythm. He scored on a 24-yard run, though he couldn’t stay inbounds on the 2-point conversion, leaving Lake’s deficit at 21-16. The junior then punched in a 4-yard run as Lake retook the lead at 23-21 with just 20 seconds left in the half.

The Broncos tried to pad their advantage, recovering a squib kick at the Midlothian 33 and using another flea-flicker that resulted in Onchweri standing alone in the end zone. Maddux’s pass found the receiver, but Midlothian’s Zechariah Washington arrived just in time to dislodge the ball, leaving Lake with a two-point lead at the break.

The Panthers didn’t have to wait long after halftime to erase that deficit. Jackson once again showcased his big-play ability, this time with a 92-yard kickoff return on which he made one cut to make three Broncos miss on his way to the end zone for Midlothian’s 29-23 lead after Wendel punched in the 2-point-conversion.

Peters cashed in for his fourth score of the game with a 48-yard run when he found space behind his blockers before bouncing to the outside and outrunning the Panthers on his way to paydirt, putting Lake out front 30-29.

Wendel had the final touchdown of the night on the third play of the fourth quarter, a 42-yard run that provided the winning points.

MIDLOTHIAN 35, LAKE BELTON 30

Lake Belton 7 16 7 0 — 30

Midlothian 7 14 8 6 — 35

LB — Davion Peters 34 run (Hunter Hutchins kick)

Mid — Kayden Gibson 49 run (Wesley McCool kick)

Mid — Brendyn Jackson 81 pass from Beau Wendel (McCool kick)

LB — Hutchins 34 field goal

Mid — David Aborisade 1 run (McCool kick)

LB — Peters 24 run (pass failed)

LB — Peters 4 run (Hutchins kick)

Mid — Jackson 92 kickoff return (Wendel run)

LB — Peters 48 run (Hutchins kick)

Mid — Wendel 42 run (run failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

LB Mid

First downs 20 14

Rushes-yards 33-209 37-251

Passing yards 253 119

Comp.-Att.-Int. 18-32-1 2-7-0

Punts-average 2-38.5 2-25.0

Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-0

Penalties-yards 865-00 6-36

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Lake Belton: Peters 15-157, Tekoa Martin 12-30, Maverik Maddux 5-18, Kellen Scarborough 1-4; Midlothian: Wendel 14-111, Gibson 9-99, Aborisade 9-45, Michael Archie 2-8, team 1-(-3), Kentorion King 2-(-9).

PASSING — Lake Belton: Maddux 18-32-1-253; Midlothian: Wendel 2-7-0-119.

RECEIVING — Lake Belton: Zion Harness 4-97, Peters 10-78, Zach Dodd 2-39, Christian Onchweri 1-39, Martin 1-0; Midlothian: Jackson 2-119.

TDT - Will Hopkins