CHERRY VALLEY — The Cross County Thunderbirds opened the defense of their Class 2A state championship and the Ty Mimbs era with a 24-20 win over their county-line rival Harrisburg Friday night.
All of Cross County’s points came in the first quarter as the T-Birds built a 24-12 lead going into halftime. The T-Birds struck first on a short run by sophomore Corbyn Kraft. The two-point attempt by Kolby Walker was good as Cross County took an 8-0 lead with 8:39 left in the opening quarter.
Jayvin Thompson put the first points on the board for Harrisburg with 7:36 left in the first quarter. A two-point attempt was no good, and Cross County led 8-6.
Ayden Kraft found his brother Corbyn Kraft for a 40-yard touchdown pass with just over six minutes left in the quarter, and Ayden Kraft added the two points to give Cross County a 16-6 advantage. Ayden Kraft added another score on a 24-yard touchdown run, and the two-point attempt was also good, giving Cross County a 24-6 lead with just 45 seconds left in the first quarter.
Harrisburg mounted a comeback, scoring in the second quarter and again in the third to make the score 24-to-20 in favor of the Thunderbirds. Cross County had several strong defensive stops down the stretch, including at the goal line, to hang on for the victory.
The T-Birds will be at Palestine-Wheatley this Friday. The Patriots have won two in a row over Cross County. Both of those were Paschal Bowl games.
