LAPEL — Lapel will finish its football regular season with a two-game home stand after a heartbreaking loss Oct. 4 to ninth-ranked Class 2A Heritage Christian.

The Bulldogs, 4-3 on the season, will play host to Jay County on Friday. The Patriots are a 4A school but winless on the season.

A slow start hindered the Bulldog offense as the Eagles, 6-1 on the season, held Lapel scoreless in the first quarter and halfway through the second; on a fourth down, Tanner Mroz rushed 13 yards to the end zone to get his team on the board with 6 points after a missed extra point.

The Eagles then went up 21-6 until the Bulldogs’ Alexander connected on a 49-yard pass to Mroz, which set up Alexander for a 3-yard run for a touchdown. Alexander completed a pass to make the 2-point conversion.

Alexander completed 15 of 31 passes for 221 yards, giving him 1,378 for the season and edging closer to being in the top 20 passers in the state.

Josiah Scott opened the second half scoring with a 2-yard run after Mroz intercepted a Heritage Christian pass on the Eagles’ 2-yard line. With a good PAT, the Bulldogs tied the score at 21.

The Bulldog defense has made seven interceptions and recovered 11 fumbles during the season and continues to be a Lapel strength.

Heritage Christian broke the tie with another touchdown in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs once again evened the score with Alexander rushing to the end zone from the one-yard line.

On an Eagles fumble, Brandon Wood recovered the ball on the Heritage Christian 33-yard-line. Alexander completed a 26-yard pass to Charlie Prough, and the Bulldogs had their only lead in the game at 35-28.

With one minute remaining in the game, the Eagles scored and made the two-point conversion to take a 36-35 lead. The final Bulldog drive ended when Alexander was intercepted.