GOOD HOPE — The kick was missed. The celebration had started.

Then Hanceville had to put it on hold.

As the Bulldogs savored their tight 22-21 victory on the visiting sideline Friday night, Good Hope’s Tristan Franklin caused an unexpected commotion. Not more than a minute after teammate Ceth Hopper’s 32-yard field-goal attempt had sailed into the offensive line, Franklin figured the ball was still live, scooped it up and darted to the end zone.

The Raider band began to blare, and coaches and players alike appealed for a touchdown signal they ultimately never received. Following a lengthy deliberation, officials ruled play had been stopped by a whistle.

Only then was Hanceville coach Danny Miller able to turn away from the referees, sprint full speed toward his squad and pump his fist in sheer delight. And why not? Just a week removed from a heartbreaker at Susan Moore, Miller’s Dawgs used 16 unanswered points in the second half to end their season on the highest of notes.

“Our kids just kept fighting and kept fighting, even when we got down,” the coach said. “They just never gave up. Those kids have fought their butt off all year. Especially the seniors, I’m so proud for those guys. That’s a heckuva way to win a ballgame.”

One of those seniors, Dant’e Reese, deserved every ounce of praise Miller heaped upon him. The two-way standout came up with clutch contributions all night, none more imperative than the game-winning touchdown and 2-point conversion late in the fourth quarter.

Hanceville never thought twice about going for 2 once Reese’s 11-yard scoring scamper cut the deficit to 21-20. Quarterback Branen Hurst took the snap, rolled left, absorbed contact and tossed the ball to Reese at the last possible moment, allowing the converted tailback to stroll in for the score.

“For a second, I thought 7 (Hurst) was going to cut it up. Then he just pitched it,” Reese said. “He pitched it a little far back. Lucky, you know, a wide receiver got them good hands. Pulled it in and had to get to the end zone.”

Added Miller: “Our kicker was hurting and I wasn’t sure we could beat them in overtime, so we said we’re just going to put it on the line right here. That’s what our kids wanted to do.”

The Bulldogs’ other second-half catalyst was none other than Hurst. The sophomore closed the gap to 21-14 with a 1-yard quarterback keeper and completed all five of his passes in the final 24 minutes.

Three of those throws went to Andrew Alldredge for 40 yards, the two biggies a 2-point toss and a 15-yard connection on third-and-long that kept Hanceville’s last scoring drive alive. Christian James also provided a pair of first-down runs on the possession.

“Seven stepped up big,” Reese said of Hurst, who had 73 yards through the air. “I knew he would when we had to.”

The Dawgs had to start stepping up once Good Hope’s Kainan Smith put them in a 21-6 hole not even two minutes into the second quarter. The junior returned the second-half kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and reached the end zone again just a minute and a half later on a 7-yard screen pass from Riley Eisner.

The second score was set up by Lee Whisenant’s forced and recovered fumble, as well as a 32-yard diving grab by Smith down the right sideline.

Reese and Raider counterpart Jared McClure stole the show in the first half, which ended with a slight 7-6 lead for Good Hope. Each accounted for their team’s touchdown, with Reese piling on 95 of his eventual 168 rushing yards and McClure going for 96 of his 143 by the end of the evening.

Reese made an even bigger impact on defense, stuffing McClure on fourth-and-goal from the 1 shortly before the midway break. Kaine Yates was at his usual best for the unit as well, blocking a Raider punt and recovering a late fumble inside Hanceville’s 5. Yates, Hayden Loggins and Griffin Brown had pass breakups on Good Hope’s last possession.

Eisner finished 15 of 27 for 183 yards and the touchdown. His most frequent target was Reese Harbison, who turned five receptions into 120 yards. The Red and White defense, which recovered three fumbles, received early tackles for loss from Colter Leith and Jonathan Burnette.

Coach Chris Moss said he never heard a whistle on the final play and thought the Raiders had pulled off the improbable when Franklin tried to play hero. Still, he was quick to give credit to the Dawgs and place the blame on himself.

“Just another crazy ending,” Moss said. “We weren’t ready to play. I guess that’s my fault. We had a lot of things that we could’ve done better.”

Good Hope’s 4-6 season was its best as a Class 4A program. The Red and White went 1-9 each of their first two tries in 2010 and 2011.

“We’ve got a lot to build on with a young team,” Moss said. “These kids will work hard, come back and hopefully get things right in the offseason.”

After an 0-7 start, Hanceville battled back to close on a 2-1 run. A 2-8 record is a stark contrast to the 26-7 mark and two region titles the Dawgs accumulated Reese’s first three seasons on campus, but he’ll never forget how his prep football career came to a close.

“Helluva way,” he said. “Nothing better.”