JEFFERSON TWP - In high school football, mistakes can be very costly.

Highlands learned that lesson the hard way in a 26-20 loss to Knoch at Knights' Stadium Friday night.

"We gave them some cheap things," Highlands coach Sam Albert said. "We got 50 seconds to go in the half, and I run the quick trap, thinking that we would be safe, and we fumble."

That fumble proved to be very costly as Knoch won the game by a single touchdown.

The Knights' offense wasted no time reaching the scoreboard, taking the ball 79 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter, when junior quarterback Jordan Shoop hooked up with junior receiver Greg Braden on a 5-yard pass to take an early 6-0 lead.

The key play on the drive was a 46-yard pass from Shoop to senior receiver Ryan Ziacik.

"As far as the game plan, I mean, heck, the last few weeks we've come out running the ball," Knoch coach Mike King said. "I just thought that it would be a nice change of pace to come out and throw the ball."

Knoch controlled the ball for most of the first quarter and scored again with 3:06 left in the frame when Shoop connected with Curtis Compton from 50-yards out.

Knoch was in position to score again early in the second quarter, but Highlands sophomore defensive back Jared Eiseman picked off a Shoop pass at his 1-yard line and sprinted 99 yards for the Rams' first score.

Highlands was starting to gain some momentum late in the first half, but with only 50 seconds remaining, freshman quarterback Steve Panchik mishandled the snap and turned the ball over.

Knoch took advantage of this stroke of good fortune and scored once again on an 11-yard pass from Shoop to David Bergamasco with only 12 seconds remaining in the half.

Knoch came out strong in the second half when Shoop threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game to senior receiver Ryan Hollihan.

"Hollihan is tough to defend," King said. "You know, it just comes down to checking your matchups, and the kid does a nice job for us."

The fourth quarter belonged solely to Highlands. Senior quarterback Zack Bonatesta came in late and breathed new life into the Rams' offense.

Bonatesta gained 113 yards on just seven carries in the final quarter of the game. He punched the ball in from 1-yard out to cap an 80-yard drive.

The Rams scored again with just six seconds remaining in the game when Bonatesta hooked up with junior Chuck Burford from 10-yards out.

"Bones (Bonatesta) did a tremendous job coming in there," Albert said.

"I was proud of the kids in the second half. They didn't quit, and they came right back," he added.

It turns out that the effort was just too late as the game ended with Shoop kneeling to kill the clock.

"Outside of an interception, I thought we did really well," King said. "That Zack Bonatesta, boy, he's a tough kid. He made some things happen there at the end of the fourth quarter and kinda gave us a scare."