NATRONA HEIGHTS - Every Thursday during practice, the Knoch football team runs through its two-minute drill.

On this Thursday, the Knights got to run it for real.

Knoch quarterback Jordan Shoop directed a 10-play, 90-yard drive in the final two minutes, capping it with a 2-yard touchdown run with 47 seconds to go in the game to give the Knights a 13-12 road win over Highlands.

"I definitely look forward to it," Shoop said of his time in the two-minute offense. "We run it every Thursday, but we never get to do it in a game."

Until Thursday, that is, and it happened in front of the Fox Sports Net cameras as the game was televised on the network.

He ran for 10 yards on a fourth-and-5 play with 1:28 remaining to keep the drive alive. Then, on second-and-10, he hit running back Alex Whisler sprinting down the seam for a 54-yard pass to the Highlands 2.

On the next play, Shoop faked an option handoff, slithered to his left and into the end zone for the score.

Shoop finished the game 6-of-13 passing for 175 yards and also led the Knights with 33 yards rushing.

Whisler punched the extra point through after the touchdown to send the Knoch fans and players into frenzy.

But Highlands had its own chance at dramatics a few seconds later.

The Rams drove to the Knoch 23 with eight seconds remaining, but Nick Bouchat was short and wide on the potential game-winning field goal from 40-yards out.

Bouchat hit a 34-yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter.

"I was proud of our kids," said Highlands coach Sam Albert. "They marched right down the field and gave us an opportunity for a field goal.

"I must be living wrong. I must be doing something wrong."

In the first half, Highlands did very little wrong.

Jeff Graham blocked a Shoop punt through the end zone for a safety late in the first quarter to give the Rams a 2-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Highlands marched 48 yards in seven plays to go up 9-0 with 3:03 remaining in the first half. Ben Douglas capped the short drive with a 20-yard run.

Douglas finished with 86 yards on 13 carries. Scott Panchik led the Rams with 133 yards on 19 attempts.

After Douglas' score, Highlands had more points than Knoch had offensive plays (eight).

Knoch didn't get its initial first down of the game until 1:31 remained in the second quarter.

"They were playing ball control; they were running the football," said Knoch coach Mike King. "When we got the ball, it was down here at the 15-yard line. Your playbook gets awful small down there."

The Knights' four possessions in the first half started at their own 20, 25, 11 and 18 respectively.

But in the second half, Knoch found its offensive stride.

After running just 14 plays during the first half, Knoch ran 13 plays on a 61-yard drive to open the third quarter that was punctuated by a 9-yard touchdown run by Whisler. The drive also consumed more than seven minutes.

It was an important drive for the Knights, who desperately needed an offensive spark after scoring 42 points and losing in a triple overtime game that spanned two days last weekend.

"I'm looking around at the players at halftime thinking, 'How much did that triple overtime take out of them last Saturday?" King said. "We just challenged them. We said, 'Look, sometimes it's a street fight. It's just me and you, and let's line up and go to it.' I was really proud of our guys on the first drive in the second half."

Knoch also took advantage of Highland's penchant for turnovers.

Two weeks ago, the Rams lost a game to Keystone Oaks in which they fumbled eight times. In the second half against Knoch, Highlands lost two key fumbles in Knights territory.

The second fumble was the more costly, as Knoch forced a turnover at its own 10 to set up the final, frantic, game-winning scoring drive.

"You can't beat anybody if you can't hold on to the football," Albert said. "You come right back down the field, all you have to do is hold on to the football and kill the clock, and we fumble the ball. I don't know what else to tell you."

The fumble set up Shoop's heroics and proved Albert's worst fear correct.

Albert said it is just a matter of time before a player the caliber of Shoop makes a game-changing play.

"He's very good," Albert said. "Sooner or later, they're going to make a big play against you."

Shoop nearly brought Knoch back earlier in the fourth quarter.

He found Dan Pickard on a 54-yard pass play down to the Hampton 27, but four penalties stalled the drive.

Shoop looked the most at ease in the shotgun with four wide receivers. That's by no accident.

"I'm a spread offense kind of guy," Shoop said, smiling. "But Coach King, he's old fashioned. But hey, I don't mind going straight up the middle."

Despite the win, King still has an uneasy feeling.

He saw too many mistakes.

"There are an awful lot of things we need to fix," King said. "We have Plum, a non-section game next week, and then get ready for those three tough conference games."