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GATESVILLE – It was a thrilling way to end the regular season, but not the final outcome that Gates County expected.

The Barons tied the game with 37 seconds left in regulation, but Perquimans scored the only points in overtime as the Pirates escaped with a hard-fought 40-34 win here Friday night.

Gates County finishes the regular season 6-4 overall (2-3 in the Four Rivers Conference) and will now wait for the state playoff seeding on Nov. 10 to determine their next opponent.

Perquimans (7-3; 3-2) used the win to earn the conference’s #3 seed for the state playoffs, which begins Nov. 15.

Trailing 34-26 with less than five minutes remaining and with Perquimans in possession in Gates County territory, the Barons needed a big play by their defense to have a chance. That big play materialized when defensive end Cam Lee stopped Ataviyon White short of the sticks on a 4^th-and-1 play at the GCHS 36 yardline, giving his offense the ball with 4:14 remaining.

From there, it took the Barons only four plays to score when Chris Lee threw a perfect pass over the middle between two defenders and into the hands of DeShawn Sherman for a 35-yard touchdown. Chris Lee then ran in the game-tying two point conversion, deadlocking the game at 34-34 with 37 seconds left.

Perquimans got the ball first in overtime and faced a 4^th-and-goal play from the two yardline. Ben Brown got the handoff on that pivotal play and was met in the gap by two GCHS defenders. However, he bounced off both and spun into the endzone, handing the Pirates a 40-34 lead after the conversion pass failed.

A costly penalty backed up the Barons on their overtime possession and things got worse when they lost a fumble at the 16 yardline, which ended the game.

Gates County put points on the scoreboard on the game’s opening possession. Using the muscle of their offensive linemen – Brier Vann, Lavont Jones, Daniel Gallagher, Carson Stallings, and Jauhiem Boone – the Barons marched 82 yards in 10 plays. DeAndre Smith capped the drive with a 2-yard run to paydirt. The conversion run failed, leaving GCHS with a 6-0 lead at the 7:34 mark of the first quarter.

Perquimans tied the game early in the second quarter where Maddux Thach grabbed a 13-yard TD pass from Braylon Knapp. The PAT kicked was blocked by Gates County’s Nijhil Baskerville.

Gates County answered quickly. Starting a drive from the Perquimans 37 yardline after a short kickoff followed by a

15 yard personal foul penalty on the Pirates, Chris Lee scored on first down from that point, calling his own number on a quarterback keeper. The conversion run failed, but the Barons were back on top, leading 12-6 at the 10:50 mark of the second quarter.

Gates County’s next possession ended in disaster when a high snap on a fourth down punt ended with Perquimans taking possession at the GCHS 8 yardline. They scored two plays later on an 8-yard pass from Knapp to Tyler Gregory. The conversion pass failed, leaving a 12-12 stalemate with 3:47 left in the second quarter.

Both teams managed to score one more time each before halftime. Gates County hit a big play when Chris Lee, scrambling out of the pocket, spotted Jameer Riddick open over the middle and the two connected on a 58-yard TD pass. The conversion run failed, but the Barons led 18-12.

Highlighted by a 43-yard pass from Knapp to Thach, Perquimans responded with a quick, three play, 58-yard drive capped by White’s 10-yard TD run and Knapp’s conversion run that staked the Pirates to a 20-18 halftime lead.

Thanks to the defense, Gates County wrestled the lead back in their favor. Justin Powell came up with a big hit on the third snap of the second half; the ball popped free and Baskerville recovered at the Pirates 30 yardline. Two plays later, Smith scored on a 19-yard run and then added the conversion run for a 26-20 lead at the 10:12 mark of the third quarter.

Gates County’s defense came up with another turnover on the game’s ensuing possession when Powell picked off a pass. The Barons drove to inside the Perquimans 35 yardline, but the Pirates defense came up with a big play of its own with an interception that was returned to the GCHS four yardline. That set up Brown scoring on a 2-yard run, but the conversion failed, leaving the two teams tied at 26-26 with 3:21 left in the third quarter.

That score stood until the early stages of the fourth quarter where Perquimans turned to its bag of tricks, using a lateral from Knapp to Thach who then tossed a 41-yard pass to Brown who was run out of bounds at the GCHS three yardline. Brown scored on a run on the next snap and Thach added the two-point conversion, handing the Pirates a 34-26 lead.

Gates County finished the game with 391 yards of total offense (217 rushing yards on 45 attempts and a season-high 174 passing yards). Smith led the ground attack with a game-high 126 yards on 29 carries. Chris Lee was 5-of-9 passing for a game-high 174 yards.

Perquimans had 288 yards of total offense (192 passing and 96 rushing on 31 attempts). Knapp (14-of-25) threw for 151 yards to lead the Pirates.