PEMBROKE — Robeson County's game of the year lived up to its billing Friday night at Big 'Mo' Strickland Stadium in Pembroke.

Purnell Swett staked its claim as the area's top team, stopping Lumberton's late two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter to win a 32-30 thriller in front of 6,000 fans at the 'Backyard Brawl'.

"Our defense played well and this was a great win," Purnell Swett head coach Mark Heil said. "We showed a lot of courage tonight and we were able to get a couple of breaks early."

The victory for the Rams created a three-way tie for second in the Southeastern Conference with Lumberton and Pinecrest. Both Heil and Lumberton's Mike Brill rode to Hoke County High after the game for a three-way drawing to determine second place.

It didn't go in the Rams' favor.

Heil and his team finished third in the blind golf ball drawing, leaving the Rams in fourth place in the conference after the tiebreaker, despite having a 9-2 overall record.

"It's unfortunate second place gets decided with a drawing," Heil said. "They should go by power ratings or something. Pinecrest got second and Lumberton got third."

Heil reiterated his team's overall success this season and said, as usual, the Rams didn't have any luck on their side.

"Our kids fought and played hard tonight," Heil said. "We are probably going to go on the road now even though we have nine wins. We are the only small 4A going to the playoffs in our conference, everyone else is 4AA. Because of that, we should get the conference's top 4A seed."

Purnell Swett (9-2, 3-2 Southeastern 4A) jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the second quarter when quarterback Ethan Clark sped his way 19 yards to the endzone on a toss sweep. The Rams benefitted from three Pirates' turnovers in the opening half, turning all three into points.

Clark was most effective through the air, completing all seven pass attempts for 146 yards, including a 39-yard scoring strike to Jordan Jones in the first quarter on a 3rd-and-19 play. Caleb Jones' 14-yard reception with under a minute left in the fourth gave the Rams' the game-clinching first down.

"We had a few defensive breakdowns," Brill said. "But we did start playing better in the second half. Our kids didn't give up."

Down 32-24 with six minutes to play, the Pirates went on a 12-play, 58-yard drive to trail by just two following Maurice Lewis' second touchdown of the fourth quarter with 3:03 remaining in the game.

The Rams snuffed out Lumberton's game-tying conversion attempt and took over on offense after successfully recovering Conner Haskins' onside kick attempt.

"Lumberton made a mistake on the two-point conversion," Heil said. "It looked like they fumbled the speed handoff. Our guy was able to fall on it and we won the game."

Stopping Ethan was just the beginning of Lumberton's problems in the first 24 minutes. After Jock Clark's 19-yard scoring scamper gave the Rams their first lead at 6-0, Damien Troy fumbled the ensuing kickoff and it was was returned 22 yards for a touchdown. Brandon Callahan's scoop-and-score gave Swett a 12-0 advantage five minutes into the game.

After Swett's 24-point barrage, the Pirates' offense woke up.

Hal Stephens scored Lumberton's first touchdown on a six-yard burst and Brent Bristow added a 35-yard end around for a score two minutes later. After a pair of successful two-point conversions, the Pirates were back in the game at 24-16 just before halftime. Troy redeemed his earlier special teams fumble midway through the fourth quarter, intercepting Chase Armstrong at the Pirates-32.

"Our guys played with heart," Brill said. "We have a darn good football team."

Lewis, Robeson County's leading rusher, nearly brought his team all the way back in the final quarter. Held to just 56 yards over the first three frames, the 5-9 senior gained 70 yards in the fourth and scored two touchdowns. Bristow finished with 92 yards rushing for the Pirates. Lumberton tallied 272 rushing yards overall.

“Turnovers lost us this ballgame,” Brill said. “And I think our player was already down on that fumble in the first half.”