HANCEVILLE — For the past two weeks, Hanceville’s offense has stolen the show en route to a pair of shootout victories.

That production didn’t cease on Friday night, either.

The Bulldog unit was as sharp as ever during its do-or-die area matchup with Susan Moore, collecting 478 total yards, six touchdowns and 21 total first downs inside Ray Talley Stadium.

Good enough for easy wins most evenings.

Unfortunately for Hanceville, however, Kobe Justice had other plans for his squad.

The senior running back carried the ball 25 times for 318 yards and five touchdowns for Susan Moore, as the visiting Bulldogs outlasted the home team 56-48 to earn the No. 3 spot in the Class 3A, Region 5 standings and eliminate the Purple and Gold (3-6, 3-3) from the postseason picture.

“They made plays when they needed it,” Hanceville coach Danny Miller said. “We didn’t. We fought hard, though. I’m real proud of the guys. We didn’t want it to end like this, but we’ll deal with it and move forward.”

Miller’s team got off to a strong start, garnering a 22-8 first-quarter lead following scoring jaunts by Branen Hurst and B.J. Smalls and a defensive touchdown by Andrew Allredge, who fell on a fumble — Kaine Yates jarred it loose — in the end zone to grab early momentum.

Justice wasn’t to be denied service, though, as the stellar back reclaimed the lead by himself on two touchdown scampers (2 and 20 yards) and a pair of 2-point conversions heading into halftime.

He then opened the second half with a 60-yard run to increase the visitor’s cushion to 10 points.

“Four days isn’t enough to prepare for what they run at you,” Hurst said. “They’re bigger than us, and they run that offense to perfection. We really just didn’t make enough plays in the game.”

Despite 539 rushing yards by Susan Moore, Hanceville trailed by a single point early in the fourth quarter after a 1-yard sneak by Hurst and grabbed a 48-40 advantage on a 24-yard run from Smalls with nine minutes left.

That’s all the Purple and Gold could celebrate in the end.

Justice tied the up-and-down contest with his fifth touchdown (10 yards) and 2-point try of the night. The road squad then forced a quick punt to get the ball back with less than three minutes on the clock.

Two snaps later, quarterback Hunter Duncan — who finished his outing with 175 total yards and two scores — scurried into the end zone for a 22-yard, go-ahead touchdown.

Hanceville’s last-ditch drive fell short when Hurst’s final toss was picked off by senior Paul Robertson inside the 10-yard line.

“The chances were there to make opportunities, but we just didn’t make enough,” Miller said. “It’s disheartening, but that’s how it goes sometimes. We hung in there and played tough.”

Added Hurst: “We stepped up in the second half, but they got us there at the end. We put in a lot of work to get ourselves in this position. We had a chance to make the playoffs after a terrible start. It feels bad right now, but we’ll be OK. We’ve got a good attitude.”

Hurst completed 7 of 17 passes for 148 yards. He also carried the ball 15 times for 44 yards and three scores. Smalls turned in a monster game, too, rushing for 259 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

Seniors Isaac Weissend and Jose Orozco each caught two passes, while Alldredge, Owen Harper and Trey Martin hauled in one apiece.

Yates recorded two sacks on defense.

Although the Bulldogs won’t play November football, there’s still plenty left on the table.

One final home for the seniors.

The opponent? County-rival Good Hope.

“We’re playing for pride right now,” Miller said. “Those guys are in the same situation we’re in. We’ll see what we can do.”

For Hurst, he can’t imagine sending his “brothers” out with a loss.

Not at home. Not against the Raiders.

“It was a great game last year,” he said. “One of the best I’ve ever been involved with. We’re going to try hard to get them that win. I love all the seniors, and they deserve it.”