By Jim O'Hara

ROME, Ga. – There was plenty of fireworks Barron Stadium on Thursday night – on the field and in the sky.

By the time the game ended, one that included the two teams combining to roll up more than 1,000 yards of offense and a weather/lightning delay that lasted more than an hour, the Shorter Hawks found themselves being handed their second loss in as many outings in the new season as the Mars Hill Lions used a second-half rally to hand Shorter a 41-30 non-conference defeat in the first ever meeting between the two schools and spoiling Shorter's home opener.

The Hawks, now 0-2 overall heading into next week's first Gulf South Conference clash at NCAA Division II defending national champion Valdosta State, grabbed a 23-14 halftime lead, saw the Lions (1-1) charge back in the second half and dominate the fourth quarter after the teams returned to the field following the delay, a break in which the Hawks never recovered from.

By the time it was over at close to midnight, the two teams put up some gaudy offensive numbers, with the Hawks ending the night rolling up 462 total yards, 330 on the ground with junior quarterback Eric Dodson rushing for a game-high 186 yards on 15 carries including a 55-yard touchdown jaunt on the first play of the game.

The Lions, however, was just as effective moving the ball as the South Atlantic Conference team, especially in the second half when they overcame a 10-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter scoring three unanswered big-play touchdowns the rest of the way, two on touchdown passes of 54 and 24 yards by quarterback Trent Miller and the game clincher with under two minutes to play on a 47-yard run by Shaikel Davis.

Miller finished the game completing 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns, Dimitri Holmes caught nine passes for 224 yards and a pair of TDs and Davis led his team with 165 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns. All told, the Lions had an amazing 558 yards in offense.

Dodson waste little time showing he was ready to play.

After a short opening kickoff gave Shorter the ball at its own 45, the first snap of the game saw Dodson find room to run around the left side and he sprinted 55 yards for the touchdown. Kenny Langford added the first of three extra points.

Mars Hill, however, answered on their first series of the night, marching 71 yards on nine plays and tied the game when Shaikel Davis broke into the end zone from 12 yards out with Victor Yurco added the PAT.

The Hawks continued the wide-open first quarter outburst taking a 10-7 lead with 8:56 left in the period thanks to a 32-yard field goal by Guy Davis, his first of the season and his career.

Shorter got the ball back after the Hawks' defense stopped a Mars Hill drive that ended at the Shorter 32 and from there the home offense took off again, this time moving the ball the length of the field – Dodson broke for a 42-yard run to move the ball into Mars Hill territory – and with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter senior fullback Bradley Moon hit paydirt from a yard out to give the Hawks a 16-7 advantage.

When the second quarter began, the Lions found the momentum when they put together an 80-yard drive on just four plays, the last one a 66-yard touchdown pass from Miller to Holmes to close to within two, 16-14 just over a minute into the new period.

Shorter, however, had a big-pass play in their game plan as well.

With 7:34 to go in the half, Dodson found senior Roderick Jones open along the right sideline, where Jones hauled in the pass and raced in for the 48-yard touchdown pass to help the Hawks assume a 23-14 lead they held at the half.

The Lions threatened in the final minutes of the half, moving the ball to Shorter 23 but the Hawks stood their ground with two huge hits on the stand coming from Wesley Clay and Kendall Lacey.

The second half saw the Lions pull to within three points when Miller hit Jeremy Hughes with an 18-yard touchdown strike, but the Hawks lengthened their lead early in the fourth quarter when Sean Fowler score on a 9-yard option sweep to the left and when Langford added the point after Shorter found itself with a 30-20 advantage.

Mars Hill again chanrged back and less than three minutes later scored on a 54-scoring pass from Miller to Holmes that cut Shorter's lead to four, 30-26.

That's when the referees sent the teams off the field as Barron was hit with a deluge of rain and lightning. An hour later, the teams were back on the field with Mars Hill reassuming the momentum.
With 7:59 left in the game, Miller found Hughes open again, this time for a 24-yard touchdown pass that gave the Lions the lead for good.

Mars Hill stopped what appeared to be a go-ahead Shorter drive at the Mars Hill 40 and after a punt by Shorter's Aaron Mize was downed at the Lions' 2, the visitors sewed the game up putting together a 98-yard drive that culminated with a 47-yard touchdown run by Davis.