It was a close game that Loyd Star head coach Brian Ford said could have gone either way. Unfortunately for the Hornets, it tipped in Amite County’s favor. The Trojans took the win over Loyd Star in Liberty 36-30 Friday night.

“They scored with nine seconds on the game,” Ford said. “Our kids played really hard and we got behind early and came back and tied the game up. They made a couple of big scores on us.”

The Hornets hit the scoreboard in the second quarter after a touchdown brought them to 6-7 just a point away from Amite County. They tied it up with a point after the touchdown.

Another rushing touchdown and point after brought it up to 14-7 with two minutes to go. The two teams stayed neck-and-neck, taking turns with touchdowns.

Amite County completed a 50-yard pass for a touchdown and a two-point conversion with four minutes to go in the third quarter, giving them a bigger lead, 14-23. The Trojans recovered a Hornet fumble and completed a pass for a touchdown, making it 13-30 going into the fourth quarter.

The Hornets fought back, scoring with a rushing touchdown and nailing a two-point conversion, bringing them to 22-30.Loyd Star scored 6 points on a rushing touchdown with two minutes to go and tied it up 30-30 with a two-point conversion.

Loyd Star kicked off to Amite County, who rushed for a touchdown with less than a minute to go, ending the game 30-36.

Ford said his team played hard.

“They gave us a chance to win and that’s all you can ask for,” he said. “We fought hard. We were physical and didn’t quit.It’s a tough loss.”

Loyd Star (3-5) takes on its rival Enterprise (1-6) at home Friday for Senior Night. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.

“I feel like they’ll bounce back and come back and play hard for us again next week,” Ford said.