INDIANAPOLIS — Ben Davis held off crosstown rival Warren Central 31-28 Friday night on Operation Football.
The Warriors wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Cyron Williams returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Warren Central lead.
The Giants, who dropped to No. 3 in Class 6A after a loss to IMG Academy last week, got right back in the game with a 15-yard touchdown run by Alijah Price.
Minutes later, the Warriors got back on the board with a Jaylan McMoore touchdown run from five yards out, but a missed extra point left their lead at 13-7.
Price scored his second touchdown of the quarter and the PAT gave Ben Davis its first lead of the game.
It didn't last long, however.
La'Dre Harris returned a Giants punt 60 yards for a touchdown to give the Warriors a 20-14 lead after one.
Midway through the second quarter, Nate Williams intercepted a Warren Central pass and took it 30 yards to the endzone to retake the lead. Then, with less than a minute left in the half, the Giants struck again, with Price scoring for the third time on an 18-yard reception and a 28-20 lead headed to halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter, James Clark scored on a 2-yard run for the Warriors and Marcus Bell Jr. ran in for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 28.
Ben Rudolph kicked a 30-yard field goal to give Ben Davis a 31-28 lead, which held up as the final score when Warren Central missed a game-tying field goal attempt from 29 yards out in the closing seconds.
Ben Davis is at Lawrence North next Friday, while Warren Central hosts Pike.