The Pike Patriots snapped a two-game losing streak Friday when they defeated the Glenwood Gators 34-28 on homecoming.

The Patriots (4-2) led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter but needed an onside kick recovery and a defensive stop to seal the deal against the Gators.

“We didn’t play well at all in the first half, but we had a lead,” said Patriots head coach Gene Allen. “We came out and played well in the third quarter. I guess we lost focused in the fourth quarter. We had a lot of penalties that is uncharacteristic for us … We got the win, and we can build on that.”

The Patriots jumped on the scoreboard first. After the defense held the Gators to a three and out, the Gators’ snap flew over the punters head and landed on the two-yard line. Reed Jinright ran the ball into the endzone on the first play to give the Patriots a 7-0 at the 7:30 mark of the opening quarter.

The Patriots held the Gators to their second straight three and out before embarking on a nine-play scoring drive. The drive was capped off by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Reed Jinright to JT Ball to give the Patriots a 14-0 lead.

The Gators went on a 15-play drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Kashe Boatner to bring the score to 14-7 with 6:24 remaining in the half.

The Patriots started the second half with another three-and-out on defense and then scored son a six-yard touchdown run by Wood.

The Gators embarked on a nine-play drive before the Patriot defense stripped the ball, giving Josh Graham the opportunity to recover the fumble.

The Patriots took advantage of the wit a 36-yard touchdown pass from Reed Jinright to Cason Murphree, giving Murphree his first touchdown of the year and giving the Patriots at 28-7 lead.

The Gators cut into the lead midway through the final quarter when they hit a 25-yard touchdown pass.

Ball was able to get in the endzone on a 45-yard touchdown run in the next possession, increasing the Patriots lead to 35-14 with just 5:24 remaining.

The Gators once again inched closer when Jacob Harper hauled in a 27-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Mosley with 3:24 remaining in the game to bring the score to 35-21.

After the Patriots fumbled the ball away the Gators retained possession and got to within six points on a 29-yard touchdown catch by Tripp Day.

After failing on the onside kick attempt, the Gators held the Patriots to a three and out and retained possession deep in their own territory. The Patriots were able to stop Glenwood on four straight plays to end the ball game.

“Up until the last quarter I thought we played really well,” Allen said. “We stuck with and did some good things. We let up a few plays and had some blown coverages and some penalties that killed us, but I was proud with how we came out and played.”

The Patriots finished with 367 total yards that included big plays by Ball and Murphree. The Patriots surrendered 295 total yards and 96 on the ground.

“JT Ball was able to break a long run and we were able to have a long touchdown completion,” Allen said. “Reed (Jinright) really threw the ball well tonight. We opened things up. We had a few called back because of penalties, but I thought he threw better.”

Reed Jinright finished the game completing eight of his 10 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Twin brother Wood Jinright caught three passes for 57 yards, while Ball had three catches for 55 yards.

Reed Jinright also led the team in rushing with 69 yards, while Ball had 60 yards. Tyler Hussey led the team in tackles with nine, while Reed Johnson had seven.

The Patriots will be back in action next Friday when they travel to take on Northside Methodist at 7 p.m.