HAMPTON TWP — Hampton was taking advantage of playing on a short field Friday against Knoch, but when it mattered most, it went deep.

After shaking off 12- and 5-yard scoring drives following interceptions, the Knights bounced back and were clinging to a three-point lead before Jon Nigro connected on a 40-yard scoring pass with 3:15 remaining to give Hampton a 20-17 Greater Allegheny Conference victory.

“Any great defense begins with a great effort and (Hampton) played great defense,” said Knights coach Mike King.

The Talbots (4-1, 3-1) started the winning drive at their own 37-yard line with 5:07 to play. Nigro connected with Eddie Edwards for a 60-yard pass, then C.J. Arch added a 5-yard run for a first down. A holding penalty on Knoch on the ensuing play put the ball at the Knoch 41.

Anthony Bianco rushed for 1 yard before Nigro threw a rainbow pass down the left side and Collin Luther made an over-the-shoulder running catch for the score.

A missed extra-point gave the Knights a chance to at least drive for a game-tying field goal, but quarterback Dakota Bruggeman was sacked by Zach Collins for an 11-yard loss on the first play to move the ball back to the Knoch 22.

A 5-yard pass play, followed by a Bruggeman 6-yard run put the ball at the Knoch 33 for a fourth-and-10, but Bruggeman's pass fell incomplete and Hampton was able to run out the clock.

“We just played our defense,” said Talbots coach Jacque DeMatteo. “(Knoch) is a great team. This is a big signature win for us. ... We played a complete-game effort. Our guys answered a lot of questions.

“My biggest thought was 'Can we be in a close game, can we go blow to blow, and can we come away with the win?' The kids answered those questions,” DeMatteo added.

Knoch (4-1, 3-1) had a tough go offensively as leading rusher Ben Tackett was limited to 65 yards, 60 coming in the second half. The Knights out-gained the Talbots 261-195, but two Bruggeman interceptions allowed the Talbots to cash in on a short field.

Frank Bello intercepted Bruggeman and took the ball back 30 yards to the Knoch 12. Four plays later, Bello scored on a 1-yard run.

“I felt if we loosened it up, if we passed early,” King said, “we can throw the ball and we did throw the ball. You can't hand the ball off to Tackett and Cunningham every play. We have a lot of good coaches in Class AAA and if you're one-dimensional, they'll make you pay.”

Knoch used an 18-yard pass to Luke Kroneberg and a 21-yarder to Adam Albert to set up a first-and-goal at the 10 early in the second quarter, but the Knights settled for a 25-yard field goal by Logan Tupper.

Knoch took its first lead of the game just before halftime when a 44-yard run by Mike Cunningham on a third-and-15 from the Knoch 15 moved the ball into Hampton territory.

On a fourth-and-3 from the Hampton 34-yard line, Bruggeman found Kroneberg on a catch and run, which Kroneberg dodged a pair of Talbot defenders on his way to the end zone with 33.2 seconds left.

The Talbots reclaimed the lead after Zac Gonzales picked off a Bruggeman pass and returned it 40 yards to the Knoch 5. On a fourth-and-goal from the 1, Bello churned forward for the touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.

“We gave them a lot of chances,” King said. “That's football. You're not going to be able to do that at any level. You can't expect to give them a short field and expect the defense to bail you out.

“If you throw the ball, hey, that's the chance you take. I don't fault Dakota. He's just trying to make some plays,” King added.

Knoch, however, struck quickly to score as Tackett broke free for a 42-yard run, then Bruggeman found Cunningham for a 36-yard scoring pass to help give Knoch a 17-14 lead with 10:42 to play.

Both teams would go three-and-out on each of their next two possessions before Hampton would get the winning touchdown.

“This was a great football game,” King noted. “It was fun if you were in the stands. ... There were big plays back and forth. We had more errors than they did. That's football.”