The Madison-Ridgeland Academy Patriots snagged victory from the jaws of defeat with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game to defeat the Adams County Christian Rebels 27-26 Friday night at the ACCS football field.

ACCS head football coach Bo Swilley said he blamed himself for the loss in the last two minutes of the game.

&uot;If I had managed the clock differently, we would’ve won the game,&uot; Swilley said. &uot;We should’ve run the clock out.&uot;

It appeared ACCS (0-3) was well on its way to its first win of the season after Landon Burr picked off a Drake Adams pass at the Rebel 27 yard line with only two minutes left in the fourth quarter and MRA with no time outs to use.

Instead of running out the clock, the Rebels ran the ball three times, running out of bounds on third down and stopping the clock.

Then, on fourth-and-six with just 27 seconds left, Tom Rich blocked Burr’s punt and MRA recovered the ball at the 18 yard line.

On the very next play, Kirk Strong caught Adams’ pass for the game-tying touchdown. Jordan Davis’ extra point gave the Patriots the lead.

Adams was 7-for-13 for 98 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Smith was 15-for-26 for 172 yards. He ran for a touchdown and threw two interceptions.

Despite the loss, Swilley said he was pleased with the team’s effort.

&uot;I’m extremely proud of my kids,&uot; he said. &uot;They played well on both sides of the ball. This is probably the best 0 and 3 football team I’ve ever coached. When the kids play as hard as they did tonight, God’s going to reward them.&uot;

ACCS hosts Centreville Friday at 7 p.m.