ABERDEEN–In a game that seemed comfortable but turned into a nail-biter, Aberdeen needed a clutch play late in the game to seal the deal for a 39-29 win over Black Hills on Friday in Aberdeen.

With the third and final 2A Evergreen Conference playoff spot at stake, the Bobcats (5-3 overall, 2-2 2A Evergreen) used an impressive running game to open up a comfortable first-half lead.

Two short touchdown runs from senior running back Riley Wixson followed by a 21-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Mason Hill to senior wideout Adonis Hammonds had the Bobcats up 20-0 with just under four minutes to play in the first half.

The Wolves (2-6, 1-2) got on the board with an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jesse Keith to receiver Lucian Miller to trim the Cats’ lead to 20-6 at halftime.

Aberdeen regained its 20-point lead on Wixson’s third scoring run of the game with 3:25 left in the third, but Black Hills’ big-play ability kept the Wolves in the game when sophomore running back Marshall Orona broke around the edge for a 53-yard touchdown run to make it a 26-14 game entering the final quarter.

With just over 10 minutes left in the game, Aberdeen extended its lead to 18 points on another Hill to Hammonds pass connection, this time for 20 yards and a 32-14 lead.

ERICA MCCRORY | MCCRORY PHOTOGRAPHY Aberdeen receiver Adonis Hammonds (4) attempts to escape the tackle of Black Hills’ Caden Murphy during a 39-29 victory on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

But Black Hills continued to make big plays, scoring on a 34-yard run by running back Jess Bender with 6:04 to play.

With 3:20 to play, Aberdeen’s defense forced a punt on 4th and 19, looking to get the ball back and run out the clock. But the short kick was muffed by Hammonds. Black Hills recovered the fumble to take over inside Aberdeen territory.

Bender made good on the turnover, scoring on a 30-yard run to make it a one-score game at 32-29 with 2:38 left.

Aberdeen’s offense failed to move the chains on the ensuing possession and was forced to punt, with Hammonds booting the ball to the Black Hills 24-yard line with 1:28 left to play.

On the first play of the drive, the snap was fumbled by Keith. Orona picked up the ball and appeared to throw it up for grabs in the Aberdeen secondary. From his linebacker position, Wixson read the play, snatching the ball out of the air and racing 25 yards to the pylon to secure the Bobcats victory and a spot in the postseason play-in round.

“I saw the fumbled snap and kept my eyes on the ball,” Wixson said of his game-clinching play. “They threw it up, I don’t know why, and I read it perfectly and just jumped on the ball. … It was happiness. Straight happiness.”

Aberdeen was led by senior running back Micah Schroeder, who looked to regain his earlier-season form after battling back from injury with a game-high 163 rushing yards on 22 carries, giving him 662 rushing yards to lead the Cats this season.

ERICA MCCRORY | MCCRORY PHOTOGRAPHY Aberdeen running back Micah Schroeder (6) jukes past Black Hills defenders during a 39-29 win on Friday at Stewart Field in Aberdeen.

Wixson carried the ball 17 times for 64 yards and three rushing touchdowns to go along with his pick-6 interception return.

Hill completed 9-of-18 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

Hill’s favorite target was Hammonds, who himself looked to be recovered from injury with six catches for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Aberdeen outgained Black Hills 355-342, but the numbers were flipped from the first to second halves. The Bobcats held a 233-128 advantage in the first half with the Wolves holding a 214-122 edge in the second.

With the win, Aberdeen secured the third playoff spot in the 2A EvCo and will play in what amounts to a mid-week, one-half football game against the 2A Greater St. Helen’s League No. 4 seed for a chance to play in the state tournament.

For Aberdeen head coach Todd Bridge, his team’s inability to put the Wolves away was a point of concern.

“It’s too bad we didn’t put them away. That’s something we talked about at halftime, was having a killer instinct. We didn’t and there hasn’t been a lot of moments in my seven years here now where we put a comparable opponent away, away,” he said. “We had a chance there, but we didn’t get the job done and we made an interesting game out of it.”

Bridge added there is a silver lining in that facing pressure-packed situations makes for a more prepared football team come playoff time.

“One thing about interesting games though it gives guys that opportunity to feel that tenseness and pressure because we are getting to that part of the season where that is pretty important,” Bridge said. “At the end of the day, I’ll take it and our kids get to play in Week 10.”

Aberdeen closes out its regular season with a non-league game against Tenino at 7 p.m. on Friday at Stewart Field.

Black Hills 0 6 8 15 – 29

Aberdeen 6 14 6 13 – 39

Scoring

First quarter

Aberdeen – Wixson 1 run (PAT failed), 9:59

Second quarter

A – Wixson 3 run (Schroeder run), 9:50

A – Hammonds 21 pass from Hill (PAT failed), 3:58

Black Hills – Miller 8 pass from Keith (PAT failed), 1:04.

Third quarter

A – Wixson 6 run (PAT failed), 3:25

BH – Orona 53 run (Keith run), 2:42

Fourth quarter

A – Hammonds 20 pass from Hill (PAT failed), 10:07

BH – Je. Bender 34 run (Orona run), 6:04

BH – Je. Bender 30 run (Ja. Bender), 2:38

A – Wixson 25 interception return (Matthews kick), 1:18

Passing: Black Hills – Keith 4-11-0-21; Orona 0-1-1-0. Aberdeen – Hill 9-18-0-119.

Rushing: BH – Keith 21-99, Orona 10-94, Je. Bender 6-69, Tinsley 16-59. A – Schroeder 22-163; Wixson 17-64, Hill 1-(-6).

Receiving: BH – Tinsley 3-13, Miller 1-8. A – Hammonds 6-107, Schroeder 2-7, Matthews 1-5.