HANCEVILLE —

Brosnan Ward played like a senior unwilling to lose on Friday night.

The Hanceville running back rushed for four touchdowns at Ray Talley Stadium, lifting the Bulldogs to a 27-13 home triumph against West Point.

The Purple and Gold improved to 1-1 this season with the win, while the Warriors dropped to 0-2.

“Brosnan … that kid ran super hard, and the offensive line blocked really well,” Hanceville coach Ryan Brewer said. “He’s a heck of a young man. The thing we worked on with him in the offseason was getting more yards after contact — and he’s doing it. It’s fun to see. He’s having a good time, and it’s awesome to watch him flourish.”

Ward’s 64-yard scoring run put the Bulldogs in front 7-0 late in the second quarter, and his 13-yard TD dash early in the third period put his team ahead 14-0.

West Point, however, battled back and cut its deficit to 14-7 following a 5-yard touchdown scamper by Garit Roberson midway through the stanza.

But Ward was simply too much.

He added scores from 3 and 5 yards out the rest of the way — the second coming soon after the Warriors made it 20-13 following a Parker Marks touchdown with 4:24 remaining in the game — and the Purple and Gold defense came up with a few crucial stops down the stretch to help pull out a solid victory over a county opponent.

“The defense played extremely well tonight,” Brewer said. “There were a couple of times where we caved, but they gave effort, attacked the football and didn’t give up. Marquies Leeth saved a touchdown, and it was incredible. He chased him down like DK Metcalf. A few plays after that, we got a pick. It was a huge team effort with a bunch of guys stepping up. We also had some key plays turn out in our favor.”

Hanceville opens region play next week, hosting Oneonta.

West Point, meanwhile, will hit the road against to face Vinemont.