BEATTY -- Longtime Nye County rivals, Beatty and Tonopah, will collide here Friday in football, with the Hornets seeking to remain in contention for the Southern Nevada Class A playoffs.

Beatty moved to 1-1 in the Central Division (4-3 in all games) with a come-from-behind, 24-20 victory against another county adversary, Round Mountain, at the Hornets' Homecoming Friday.

Junior Dare scored on a 13-yard run with 0:42 left in the game to boost Beatty into a 22-20 lead. The Hornets added the two-point conversion, then ended the Knights' hopes of ending a six-game losing streak when Jose Mendoza intercepted a pass and returned it to the Round Mountain 20 when time expired.

"But the big play came in the first quarter," said Gus Sullivan, the Hornets' coach. "We had worked on the quarterback option Round Mountain runs. On the second play of the game, they tried it and Joe Serrano broke in, intercepted the pitch and ran it in for a touchdown."

The Knights had taken a 20-18 lead with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, when Jaoquin Ramirez scored on an eight-yard run. Beatty used two completions and two pass interference penalties against the Knights to move to the 13, from where Dare scored.

Round Mountain had only two seniors in its starting lineup and there are nine freshmen on the roster coach Jim Swigart assembled this fall.

"They've learned the right way to feel after a game," said Swigart. "There wasn't any laughing or loud music in the locker room or on the bus after this game, but there were a lot of tears falling."

Quarterback-linebacker Cody Burgraff completed 6 of 9 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown, as well as getting 10 solo tackles. Ramirez finished with 118 yards on 17 rushes.

Sullivan must now prepare his team for Tonopah, 6-1 after a 50-8 blitz of Beaver Dam, Ariz., at St. George, Utah, Saturday night. The game was played on Dixie High School's artificial turf field.

"We're going to give it our best shot," said Sullivan, who has to hope for another monster crowd, like the one that watched the Hornets win at their Homecoming Friday. "It was cold, but the crowd was great. We had the football game and before it, there was a seven-minute fireworks show put on by our fire department. It was a big night."

Tonopah, which rolled up 556 yards total offense against Beaver Dam, is going after its 15th straight Central Division win. Against the Arizona team, the Muckers had 275 yards passing, as quarterback Scott Thibodeaux completed 13 of 21 passes for two touchdowns, with two interceptions.

Kevin Valentine caught four passes for 115 yards and a touchdown; Tyler Bessire gained 97 yards and got a touchdown on four catches.

Valentine rushed for 89 yards on eight carried, including three touchdowns for Tonopah, which got TDs from Steven Carnell and Tyler Bessire.

Beaver Dam, which led 6-0 after getting an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Joey Bradle, was held to 48 yards total offense afterwards.

Linebacker Mike Dolfin had 15 tackles and two fumble recoveries for Tonopah.