It all came down to one last play at Alexandria, the result of which would mean victory for one team, defeat for another.

With Jacksonville (3-1, 2-1) up 22-21 in overtime, the Alexandria Valley Cubs (1-3, 1-2) decided to go for all the marbles, the win instead of the tie. Going for the two-point conversion, Cubs John Owens took the ball from quarterback Hunter Ginn and powered into the Jacksonville line, only to be stopped by a Herculean effort by Golden Eagles Zach Shadoan, about a foot from the goal line.

Bedlam broke loose as Jacksonville fans swarmed the field at Death Valley, fans that were able to enjoy the sweet taste of victory at the home field of their heated rivals, the first taste of success at Death Valley since 1989. The last time the Eagles beat the Cubs was in 2001.

Jacksonville played like warriors throughout the entire game, but most notably in the second half.

The Valley Cubs started out the game much like they always do, marching right down the field to a score on a one-yard run by Jaron Johnson. The extra point was blocked and Alexandria took a 6-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter Jacksonville retaliated, marching down the field and scoring on a 10-yard run by Cordero Little. The extra point by Brock Sanderson put the Eagles up by one, 7-6.

As in the Eagles win over Ashville last week, the rushing game really took off, taking advantage of the holes made up front by the offensive line. Not enough credit can be given to Jake Smith, Knox Newell, Brock Sanderson, Zach Cruse and Taylor Warner for the outstanding job they are doing this season.

Taking advantage of the big holes against Alexandria were Travis Dunn with 74 yards and Little and Stephen Waters with 71 yards each.

Alexandria scored again with 38 seconds left in the half on a two-yard run. The two-point conversion, a pass into the end zone, was broken up by Jacksonville's Forrest Pearson.

Five second later the Valley Cubs had the ball back again on an interception. A face mask penalty and pass interference call gave the ball to the Cubs deep in Eagle territory and the Cubs put three more points on the board on a field goal going into the locker room with a 15-7 lead.

Jacksonville head coach Roland Houston obviously inspired his team during halftime as the Eagles came out ready to play. Marching the ball down the field, largely on the strength of fullback Stephen Waters who at times carried several Cubs along with him, Jacksonville scored on a 13-yard run into the end zone by Dunn. The two-point conversion, also by Dunn was good and the Eagles knotted up the score at 15-all.

It was then that the 12th-man came into play for the Golden Eagles, and it was apparent all over the stadium. Jacksonville fans, wearing "We Believe" t-shirts, took that message to heart and verbally got behind their team, chanting, "We believe!"

When the defense took the field and time and again stopped the Cub offense, chants of "defense" rose from the crowd.

Names like Waters, Immanuel Holifield, Shadoan, Warner, Newell, Noah Whaley, Jack Whaley, Forrest and Jackson Pearson, Joey Thompson, Trevon Huey and Randy Wood were announced over and over again by the Cub announcer as the defense tackled the runners for a loss eight times and put pressure on the quarterback five times.

Alexandria had a chance to go ahead at the end of regulation. On fourth down, with the ball on the 20-yard line, Ginn looked into the end zone to find favorite target Hunter Kelly, but instead he found the waiting arms of Jack Whaley, who intercepted the ball in the end zone to keep the Eagles hopes alive.

Whaley admitted after the game that he knew it was coming his way.

"I knew they were going to throw the ball and I knew they were going for Hunter Kelly. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," he said.

In overtime, a run by Dunn into the end zone sent a ear blasting cheer up from the Eagles 12th man that could be heard all the way back to Jacksonville. An equally loud cheer was heard when Sanderson, without a kicking tee, put the ball through the uprights to give the Eagles a 22-15 lead.

The Valley Cubs, true to tradition, didn't give up and came out to score in overtime to bring them within one. Cubs coach Frank Tucker called time out and decided to go for the win instead of the tie. As happened all evening long, the defense, spurred on by the crowd rose to the occasion. Senior Zach Shadoan stopped Owens short of the goal line and the Eagles had won.

An ecstatic Coach Houston after the game had nothing but praise for his team and his fans.

"The plays that hurt us in the past and the plays that hurt us last year the guys did a good job of reacting to," he said. "We tackled a lot better than we did last year. We talked all week about the number of missed tackles we had last year. Those guys took it as a challenge and rose to the occasion.

"Offensively we had our moments when we moved the ball and times when we didn't but we didn't get discouraged. We kept battling and doing what we needed to do to win the ball game.

"We could feel the support of the stands behind us and the kids on the bench and the sidelines were definitely in the game from the get go."

The players acknowledged the help they received from the stands.

"Our student section just brought it up tonight," said Whaley. "They kept us in the game those close plays there at the end. They helped us find that extra burst of energy that helped us through. We owe it all to the fans."

The Eagles have little time to enjoy the victory as they prepare to face Pleasant Valley Friday night for homecoming at Golden Eagles Stadium.

The Raiders, despite a 0-4 record, will be tough to deal with.

"It's homecoming, it's Pleasant Valley, it's a cross-town rivalry. You can't get ask for a bigger game than that," said Houston. "For this game, you can throw the records away."