After waiting nearly two hours for the opening kickoff, No. 18 Cy Ranch made sure the finish was worth the wait.

Nate Carrier drilled a 40-yard field goal as time expired Friday night, lifting the Mustangs to a thrilling 31–28 victory over No. 3 C.E. King.

The game was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., but lightning forced a delay just as the teams lined up for the opening kickoff. Play finally began at 8:41 p.m.—one hour and 41 minutes later.

Once the game started, Cy Ranch wasted little time taking control.

Quarterback Braden Baker connected with Derrick McCullar for a 5-yard touchdown with 10:11 remaining in the first quarter. The same combination struck again five minutes later, this time on a 69-yard scoring pass that gave the Mustangs a 14–0 advantage.

C.E. King answered in the second quarter when Khylan Davis scored on a 6-yard run, cutting the deficit to seven. Baker responded before halftime, finding John Fox for a 3-yard touchdown with 24 seconds remaining to send Cy Ranch into the locker room leading 21–7.

The third-ranked Panthers stormed back after the break behind their rushing attack.

A’Rhiyan Montgomery scored on a 4-yard run midway through the third quarter, and Davis powered across the goal line from a yard out on the final play of the period to tie the game at 21.

Montgomery then completed C.E. King’s run of 21 unanswered points with a 10-yard touchdown at the 8:46 mark of the fourth quarter, giving the Panthers their first lead, 28–21.

But Baker and the 18th-ranked Mustangs had one more answer.

Facing a seven-point deficit, Baker directed the tying drive and connected with Joshua Richard for a 10-yard touchdown with 2:59 remaining. After Cy Ranch got the ball back, the Mustangs moved within range for Carrier, whose 40-yard kick sailed through the uprights as the clock reached zero.

Baker completed 15 of 20 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed 10 times for 35 yards. Manny Leyja led the Mustangs with six receptions for 94 yards, while McCullar caught two passes for 74 yards and two scores. Fox added five receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Khristian White led the Cy Ranch rushing attack with 63 yards on 16 carries.

C.E. King finished with 331 total yards, including 262 on the ground. Triston Willis led the Panthers with 91 yards on 12 carries, while Davis rushed nine times for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Montgomery contributed 47 yards and two scores on 10 attempts.

Davis completed 10 of 15 passes for 69 yards. Joshua Blanco made one reception for 41 yards, and Dillon Mitchell recorded five catches for 29 yards.

Cy Ranch totaled 342 yards, with 244 coming through the air. The Mustangs’ passing game carried them to an early two-touchdown advantage, but it took Carrier’s right leg on the final play to complete the upset after C.E. King’s furious second-half comeback.