By the second quarter of the Battlefield vs. Osbourn homecoming football game on Monday night, vehicles lined up along Graduation Drive. A police cruiser with flashing lights parked during half time at the end of the line nearest to the main entrance of Battlefield High School.

Homecoming was that packed.

And even with all the turnovers, missed two-point conversions and general sloppiness, the boys on the field put on one heck of a show for the overflow crowd.

Battlefield (7-0 overall, 1-0 district) extended its regular-season winning streak to 26 on Monday night with a 20-18 win over Cedar Run District foe Osbourn (5-3, 1-1). The game featured more drama than a Shakespeare play with the do-or-die moment for the ultimately-unsuccessful Eagles coming on an attempted two-point conversion with 1:10 remaining.

What started off as a mundane outing turned dramatic seconds before halftime when Osbourn, leading 6-0, recovered a Battlefield fumble but immediately turned the ball over when Blaine Mason (1 TD) picked off a throw.

"I believe that it did help the team get more hyped, but honestly, it helped our offense too," said Mason, stressing that the team's attitude shifted to "We can do this, we can do this."

Christian Delgado regained possession for the Bobcats by picking off Thomas Keith 2:33 into the third quarter on a crossing route during the Eagles' first drive. Battlefield quarterback Bo Revell connected with Mason on the right side of the field a 12-yard gain the second play from scrimmage, setting up a Nagee Jackson rush and a touchdown pass from Revell to wide receiver James Robinson.

"They were running great routes and making great plays," Revell said of receivers Robinson and Mason. "I think what helped me in the second half was I just kind of let them make plays instead of trying to throw a perfect pass every time."

"When Bo's on, there's no stopping us," added Robinson. "When it's one-on-one coverage, we'll take our shot and take our chances with them."

Osbourn answered with a touchdown of its on on the ensuing drive but botched the two-point conversion. That move would come back to haunt the Eagles when, down by eight in the fourth quarter Keith drilled wide out Lucky Whitehead with an unlikely fourth-and-10 pass for a 23-yard touchdown along the right side of the field.

Needing a two-point conversion to tie, Osbourn ran an option pass to the left side of the field closest to the Osbourn stands. Keith rushed out of the pocket, drifted left, and chucked the ball into the back left corner of the end zone where only his own man could catch it.

Whitehead lept up to secure the ball, putting both hands around it. But the hardened oval-shape rock kept on going and slid through his hands.

Oddly enough, the result of that played nearly mirrored what happened to Battlefield earlier. Revell scored on a 1-yard QB sneak on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the home team a 13-12 lead. Like the Keith throw, Revell's pass to Turner Meeks on the subsequent two-point try would not have been an easy catch, but it was placed where only he could get it.

Like the Whitehead pass, the ball just didn't stick when Meeks put his hands out to grab it.

The oddballs continued for Battlefield when Osbourn took over at the BHS 20 following a missed Billy Martin field goal. The Bobcats' defensive line met charging running back Vidal Greene at the line of scrimmage only for the ball to pop out.

Drew Elias of Battlefield ended up on the ball, essentially negating the missed field goal and Osbourn possession. If anything, the missed field goal ended up being a positive for Battlefield as it just ate up more time from the clock.

"We all dove and Drew came on top of it. And I just protected him; I didn't want anyone with their hands in there," said Delgado.

Coach Mark Cox called Jackson's number four times during the next six plays, includes a fourth-a-goal run from inside the one yard line. The ball was so close to the goal line, a slight breeze would have rocked the nose of the pigskin on to the white powder chalk.

On that play, Revell handed off to Jackson who burst through the left side of the line. When the senior quarterback pumped his right fist as he ran to the sideline, fans didn't even have to see the action on the field to know that Jackson hit pay dirt.

"He told me, I better get in there," Jackson said, referring to Cox.

And he got in there.

"Yes I did," said Jackson.