Wagner’s David Glasco (11) looks for running room in the Judson secondary, between Rocket defenders Phillip Gaines (20), Robert Shaw (16) and Kouri Jones (94). Judson overcame four second-half fumbles to defeat Wagner, 28-21, Friday at D.W. Rutledge Stadium. Photo by L.D. Franklin

It’s hard to win a football game when you can’t hold on to the football. The Judson Rockets almost became a textbook study in how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory Friday, overcoming five second-half fumbles to hold on to a rousing 28-21 win over district rival Wagner.

“We just kind of misfired a few times, but we won the game. We got the hammer back,” Judson coach Jim Rackley said of the trophy that goes to the winner in this annual rivalry. “The first half we were going in, we didn’t get it, and then we fumbled it away, and we almost gave it away to them.”

Wagner coach Pete Gibbens said the turnovers came at just the right time.

“It definitely gave us a lift, when we really needed it,” he said. “Our kids started playing better, and playing harder, I was really happy to see them fight back like they did.”

Some Wagner fans were already headed to the exits late in the third quarter as the Rockets (3-2, 2-0 in District 27-5A) built on a 21-0 halftime lead with an 8-yard Chauncey Harris run and were looking for more.

But things can change in an instant – and both teams and their fans found out how quickly “The Big Mo” can move from one sideline to the other.

Lining up second-and-goal at the Wagner 1-yard line, a botched Judson snap-and-handoff put the ball on the ground. Wagner’s Bernal Ruiz scooped it up at the 5 and raced 95 yards for Wagner’s first six points of the night. A missed extra point left Wagner trailing, 28-6.

The next Judson drive featured two fumbles — the first recovered by the ballcarrier, but the second smothered under a pile of jet-black Wagner defenders. Eight plays later — on a drive aided by a huge pass interference call against Judson on a fourth-and-21 play – Wagner running back Tyrea Brown scored from 1 yard out to cut Judson’s lead to 28-14.

Judson kick returner Phillip Gaines, who had a remarkable game from his cornerback position, fumbled the kick return, giving the ball over to Wagner at the Judson 38. But Gaines stepped up defensively, intercepting a pass at the 5 and returning it to the 25-yard line to end that drive.

But Wagner, playing with renewed enthusiasm and confidence, recovered yet another Judson fumble inside the Rocket 30. Seven carries later, David Glasco hurdled over the line from 2 yards out, cutting the lead to 28-21 and sending cheers reverberating throughout the stands.

Rackley got into the action, jumping up and down in front of his players, urging them – and the crowd — on, trying to restore some of the swagger that Wagner had stolen away.

“We were kind of stunned, we were in a situation where we were in control of everything and then we turned it over … we were glad to escape with the ‘W,’” Rackley said, who added, “It’s not good for the heart, but it’s good for the soul.”

With just over 3 minutes to play, Judson fielded an onside kick at the Wagner 47. A fourth-and-11 at the T-bird 36 brought out the Rocket punt team, and punter Cody Boswell nailed it at the 2.

Wagner had 49 seconds to find a way to drive 908 yard for the tie. But Judson’s Quinn Reels ended the threat when he intercepted a Tavis Grant pass at the 28-yard line, sealing the win.

“You’ve got to hand it to the Wagner, kids, they never gave up. Those turnovers didn’t happen by accident, they created some of those things and you’ve got to congratulate them for that,” Rackley said.

The turnovers and late Wagner rally overshadowed a dominating performance by Judson’s Chauncey Harris, who carried 28 times for 250 yards and accounted for three of Judson’s touchdowns, including a 65-yard burst off left tackle on the games’ third play for an early 7-0 lead.

“This is by far the best O-line I’ve ever had,” Harris said. When asked how he and his teammates responded to Wagner’s late rally, he said, “The only thing that goes through our mind is winning this game. You’ve got to be a playmaker, everybody’s got to be a playmaker.”