Dallas County’s Calvin Starks ran for a 76 yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter as the Hornets held on to beat Sumter Central 21-12.

Dallas County (2-2) struggled to put away the Jaguars (1-3) in a key class 5A, region 3 contest. The Hornets held on downs on their own 24-yard line late in the game and Starks’ touchdown run essentially put it away.

“We bent but didn’t break,” said Dallas County coach Marty Smith. “That’s a positive, especially with a young program. We are still learning how to win and we kept our composure and found a way to win on the road and get a region victory.”

Dallas County opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run from Anthonie Rubin. After Sumter Central tied the game, Octavious Palmer threw a 72-yard touchdown pass to Kedrick Wilson to put Dallas County up 14-6. Ken James added the two-point conversion.

In the second half, Sumter Central threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to pull within two, but missed on the two-point try to tie the game.

Sumter Central plays at winless Selma (0-4) next week while Dallas County will host Maplesville.