WINDSOR—In a back and forth game, the Indians dashed the Dukes’ comeback hopes and came away with the victory Friday night.

Windsor struck first early in the first quarter, getting the crowd into it 3 minutes into the game, on a one yard run by Breon Stocks. On the conversion, the pass attempt failed as quarterback Lance Sexton was sacked in the backfield.

For the next ten minutes, Windsor and Southampton would play back and forth football, with Southampton turning the ball over on downs and subsequently stripping the ball following a completed pass. On the next play, Zach Silva would take it right back, recovering a fumble on a running play.

With 2:51 to go in the first, Windsor would turn the ball back to Southampton on downs, and the Indians would end the quarter deep in the Dukes’ territory.

With 11:31 in the second, Jamale Walker ran the ball in from the 1 yard line to tie the score at 6 all. Quarterback Russell Ballance’s pass attempt on the conversion was no good.

Southampton threatened again near the half, as the players on the sideline were screaming that they had to score before the half was over.

A Ballance pass to Ja’Quan Myrick and a few runs from Walker had the Indians 22 yards out with 43 seconds left in the half.

A pass interference call on the Dukes brought the Indians within 9 yards of a score with 17 seconds left. Ultimately, they wouldn’t be able to push it in, and Ballance was almost intercepted throwing it into coverage as time expired in the half.

To start the 3rd quarter, Stocks would again find pay dirt for Windsor, scoring from two yards out. The pass on the two point conversion was incomplete.

With the coaches calling for a stop on the Windsor sideline, the Dukes came up big and forced a three and out, but Ballance pinned the Dukes deep in their territory on the 8-yard line with an impressive punt.

Southampton immediately forced a three and out, and Malcolm Greene’s punt rolled out of bounds in Windsor territory at the 25 yard line. On fourth and 5, the Indians elected to go for it and Devine Fenner took the ball all the way to the 14 yard line. On several rushing attempts, Southampton would force the ball to their one yard line, and Jamison Long would punch it in with 13 seconds to go in the third. Ballance’s kick was good, bringing the score to 13-12 in favor of the Indians.

On their 46 yard line, Windsor would go for it all on a Sexton pass to Caleb Dundlow that took the Dukes all the way to their 11 yard line. After a penalty brought Windsor back to the 19 yard line, a Sexton pass bounced out of Stocks’ hands near the goal line. On third down, the Southampton defense got to Sexton and brought him down. Going for it on fourth down, a lineman swatted the pass down.

Southampton would take over with 10 minutes left on the game clock, but they gave it right back on their second play, as Walker coughed it up on the 42 yard line, giving Windsor one more shot with a little more than 8 minutes left in the game.

On first down, Sexton attempted a long pass, but Myrick intercepted it deep in Southampton territory.

Taking over, Coby Williams would get most of the carries as Southampton ate up more than 6 minutes of the game clock over 13 plays, finally resulting in a 37 yard touchdown run by Williams. Ballance’s kick was good, bringing the score to 20-12 in favor of the Indians.

Windsor would get the ball back with less than 2 minutes on the clock, and the kickoff return to the 39-yard-line brought the crowd back into it. However, after a short gain on a run and two incomplete passes, Windsor turned it over on downs with a completed pass to Justice Chapman, as he ran out of room before getting across the sticks.

From there, Ballance would take a knee and the Indians would win their first road game of the season.

“I think it was a great team effort,” Southampton Head Coach Willie Gillus Jr. said after the game. “I have been saying it all season that this is a team that doesn’t give up, and these kids picked each other up and fought back tonight.

“I’ve really got to hand it to our offensive and defensive linemen tonight. I think they were the key to the game. The offensive line especially dominated toward the end of the game.”

Southampton improves to 2-6, while Windsor falls to 1-7.

“It was just a tough ball game,” said Windsor Head Coach Chuck Parrish. “We made some mistakes down the stretch.”