HANCEVILLE – Hanceville’s middle school football team capped off a perfect season on Tuesday night.

And while it wasn’t easy for the Bulldogs, it sure was exciting.

Zachary Campbell had a 39-yard touchdown run with less than a minute remaining, Hanceville’s defense came up with one final stop as time expired and the Bulldogs outlasted Fairview 18-14 inside Ray Talley Stadium to secure the Cullman County middle school championship.

Hanceville improved to 7-0 with the victory, while the Aggies ended their campaign at 4-4 overall.

The win was especially sweet for Campbell, whose team lost to Good Hope 50-16 in last year’s title bout.

“We had to keep fighting,” the quarterback said. “We knew if we stopped fighting, we wouldn’t be where we are right now. I’m thankful for all my teammates and for all our coaches and all our fans for just pushing us the way they did. And I’m thankful that God has blessed me with the ability to lead this team and show them we can do anything as long as we believe we can.”

Campbell put the Bulldogs on the board first with a 45-yard scoop and score early in the second quarter.

Fairview, however, answered back on its ensuing possession with a 6-yard scoring scamper from Eli Frost to make it 6-6 heading into halftime.

The score remained the same entering the fourth quarter.

And that’s when things got crazy.

Brosnan Ward hauled in a 66-yard touchdown pass from Campbell to propel Hanceville to a 12-6 lead.

The Bulldogs then turned the Aggies over on downs.

Fairview, however, forced and recovered a fumble two snaps later to keep its title hopes alive.

Caden Hall made the most of the opportunity.

The Aggie quarterback punctuated a seven-play drive with a 40-yard touchdown dash to bring the game to a 12-12 tie. He then completed a 2-point pass to Miguel Gonzalez to put his team in front 14-12 and send the Fairview faithful into a full-on frenzy.

But Campbell simply wasn’t going to be denied.

His dynamic touchdown run flipped the momentum, and Hanceville was able to hang on for the victory.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “I put my faith in God. We kept our spirits up. We fought from last year. We kept our heads high throughout the season. We had some downfalls, but we kept going.”

Campbell completed 3 of 5 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. He also added 59 yards and the crucial score on just six carries.

Evan Dye toted the rock 12 times for 35 yards. Preston McDonald collected a 34-yard reception as well.

For Fairview, Hall was 5-of-8 passing for 37 yards. He also had 48 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Jameson Goble, meanwhile, racked up 128 yards on 23 carries. Frost finished with 17 yards and a score on six totes.

Jacob Hardin reeled in two catches for 30 yards as well.

The evening, though, belonged to the Bulldogs.

And an emotional Braxton Pitts offered his thoughts following the outcome.

“The whole year, we had to reiterate to them what we established in the summer,” the first-year coach said. “And that was each play, each game, each week, each practice … when you wake up, it’s 0-0. And they have to establish themselves each time we go out there.

“It’s special to me. I’m a 2012 graduate of Hanceville. This is my first year back home, and this is quite the homecoming. But I’m not happy for what happened to me. I’m happy because of what these young men have been able to accomplish and what they’re going to do with this in applying it to the rest of their lives.”