GALESBURG, Illinois - The Prairie Fire football team fell to Cornell 35-34 on Saturday afternoon.
Kaile Williams led Knox down the field on their first possession and converted a five-yard rush for a touchdown to take an early lead.
Williams found Hunter Anderson for a 14-yard touchdown later in the first quarter to give the Prairie Fire a 14-0 lead.
Ethan Rolph-Jones caught an eight-yard pass from Williams just before halftime to send Knox into halftime with a 21-0 advantage.
The Rams scored their first touchdown early in the third quarter, but the Prairie Fire responded with a 27-yard touchdown run by Derrick Jackson to regain their 21 point lead.
Cornell scored again to close the third quarter and Knox again responded with another rush by Kaile Williams, but the Rams blocked the extra point attempt.
Cornell reeled off two more scores to bring the game to within a touchdown. They then recovered an onside kick with 45 seconds remaining in the game and marched downfield to score once more with 12 seconds left. They hit the extra point and intercepted the Prairie Fire's last ditch effort to earn the one point victory.
Williams finished with 177 rushing yards and two scores. He also completed 4-of-6 passes for 64 yards and two more touchdowns. Jackson added 101 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Ean Rau led the Knox defense with 10 total tackles. Lucas Cruz tallied seven tackles, including two tackles for a loss. Liam Gallagher also nabbed an interception.
"We did a lot of great things today, especially in the first half," said head coach Aaron Willits. "Unfortunately, the second half counts too and we just didn't get it done today."
The Prairie Fire return to action when they travel to Monmouth for the Turkey Bowl on November 13 for the last game of the season.
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