CHESAPEAKE - If the Rock Hill and Chesapeake game was a horse race, it was a photo finish.

The Chesapeake Panthers scored with under a minute to play but missed the two-point conversion. The Panthers tried an onside kickoff but it was covered by the Redmen who ran out the clock to preserve a 13-12 win and clinch at least a share of the Ohio Valley Conference football title.

&#8220I pretty much expected it to come down to the wire. Both teams played hard and we were fortunate enough to come out on top,” Redmen coach Todd Knipp said.

Rock Hill had taken the lead on a pair of long touchdown plays and a conversion kick by T.J. Blagg. Chesapeake scored twice in the fourth quarter, the second time on a 1-yard run by Caleb McComas with 53 seconds to play.

In the wake of missing the extra point kick following the first touchdown, Chesapeake coach Phil Davis elected to go for a two-point conversion and the win.

&#8220We just decided to go for two. None of the kids wanted to kick it either. We felt we had a good shot at making two,” Davis said. &#8220Of course, hindsight is 20-20.”

Rock Hill is now 8-1 on the season and leads the OVC with a 4-0 record. The Redmen can wrap up the title outright with a win over Coal Grove next Friday.

&#8220The games keep getting bigger and bigger as the year goes along. Our staff and kids and fans want to win the title outright. It would be a nice sendoff into the playoffs,” Knipp said.

&#8220I was pleased with the effort the kids put forth. They were faced with adversity and they made a big play at the end of the ball game.”

Chesapeake falls to 5-4 and 3-1 in the OVC.

&#8220We didn't play well enough to win. We held them to two plays all night, we just didn't block well and we didn't execute like we should. The defense played well and we played hard.”

Neither team could muster a score until Rock Hill got a touchdown with only 28 seconds left in the first half.

The Redmen came out in a five-wide formation and quarterback Jarrod Casey found J.C. Murnahan running open down the middle of the field for a 49-yard touchdown play. Blagg kicked the conversion.

&#8220We put that formation in Monday hoping to that they would lose him in there. We were able to make the throw and catch. That was a huge play,” Knipp said.

Davis said the Panthers failed to recognize the formation properly.

&#8220We read it as four-wide and the receiver was wide-open,” Davis said.

Chesapeake cut the deificit to 7-6 on a 4-yard run by Caleb McComas only to have the conversion kick fail when the ball slid off the tee.

Rock Hill came back to score moments later on a 50-yard run by Josh &#8220Deuce” Moore with 10:31 to play. However, the kick failed.

K.C. Christian broke a tackle in the backfield for a 12-yard run gain on a third-and-12 situation that kept the drive alive.

The Redmen last won the OVC in 1996 when four teams shared the title.

Chesapeake, which has won the league title the past three seasons, must beat River Valley next week and hope for Coal Grove to knock off Rock Hill to force a share of the title.

Rock Hill0706=13

Chesapeake00012=12

Second Quarter

RH – J.C. Murnahan 49 pass from Jarrod Casey (T.J. Blagg kick) 0:28

Fourth Quarter

Ch – Caleb McComas

4 run (kick failed) 11:58

RH – Josh &#8220Deuce” Moore 50 run (kick failed) 10:31

Ch – Caleb McComas 1 run (run failed) 0:53

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RHCh

First downs1222

Rushes-yards48-21338-196

Passing yards49118

Total yards262314

Cmp-Att-Int.1-1-010-21-0

Fumbles-lost2-03-1

Penalties-yards2-102-10

Punts-average3-36.34-43.0

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Individual Leaders

RUSHING – Rock Hill: T.J. Blagg 11-40, Josh &#8220Deuce” Moore 5-74, K.C. Christian 27-140, Jarrod Casey 4-minus 28; Chesapeake: Caleb McComas 7-54, Kersten Harris 16-57, Cory Methax 3-4, Cody Methax 4-6, Mike Stapleton 8-65.

PASSING – Rock Hill: Jarrod Casey 1-1-0 49; Chesapeake: Caleb McComas 10-21-0 118.

RECEIVING – Rock Hill: J.C. Murnahan 1-49; Chesapeake: Cory Methax 3-34, Mike Stapleton 1-21, Jeffrey Thornburg 1-5, Brent Ransbottom 5-59.