Kingfisher’s seventh graders lost a heartbreaker in their final home football game of the season.

Newcastle scored on a 45-yard run with about 10 seconds to play to pull out a 24-22 victory over the Jackets.

“The kids played hard and never gave up,” cocoach Doug Jech said. “They overcame some adversity and gave themselves a chance to win.”

Kingfisher had just taken the lead over the Racers moments earlier.

Jhett Birdwell scored on an 18-yard run and then threw the two-point pass to Kason Blair for a 22-18 advantage.

However, the Racers had just enough time and one big play left as the Jackets fell to 3-4.

Newcastle led 6-0 after a quarter before Birdwell and Blair connected for a 68-yard touchdown pass in the second.

Birdwell added a 15- yard TD run in the third and then hit Andrew Hine for the two-point pass.

The touchdown was set up by a 52-yard gain that saw Birdwell target Blair with a pass and then Blair lateraled to Julian Orozco for a big gain.

The ensuing TD gave the Jackets a 14-12 lead before Newcastle regained it again earlier in the fourth.

Coaches said Orozco, Hine, Birdwell and Braden Whipple had a solid game for KMS.

Eighth Grade

The eighth graders ran into an early buzzsaw before closing strong in an eventual 36-14 loss to the Racers.

Kingfisher trailed 36-0 at halftime before scoring two fourth-quarter TDs.

The first came when Lucas Conrady found Santiago Ortega for a 40-yard touchdown and then kicked the extra-point.

Santiago followed that with a 72-yard scoring scamper. Conrady also kicked that extra-point.

“They were very athletic, skilled and big up front,” Jech said of the Racers. “We gave up some big plays and had costly miscues early and got ourselves in a hole. But the kids never gave up, made some adjustments, played better on defense and put together some good offensive drives the second half to compete better.”

Coaches praised the efforts of Ortega, Paytun Burnham, Mason Alig and Robert Barnett.

The eighth grade also saw its mark drop to 3-4.

Both junior high teams finish their seasons Monday at Weatherford.