Jamal Wallace rushed for 194 yards, and Northeast held on late as the Hurricanes downed Boyd Anderson 19-14 at Northeast on Friday night in a huge district game that could set the tone for the rest of the season.

It had been at least 20 years since Northeast had beaten Boyd Anderson but no one knew exactly when, so this victory was special to the players and coaches.

“It’s a huge win. It’s an opportunity for us to test our malice, test our grit. The kids fought all the way through, made some mistakes in the second half, but that’s a part of the game. That’s why you line up and play,” Northeast coach Donnell Bennett said. “I’ve never beaten them, and I can’t remember when Northeast has beaten them, but the 12 o’clock rule is in effect.”

Northeast (3-1, 1-0) jumped out to a 19-0 lead and was cruising late in the third quarter, but a poor kickoff gave Boyd Anderson (2-1, 0-1) field position at midfield with just under three minutes to play in the quarter.

The Cobras took advantage and marched 56 yards in six plays, finally putting a score on the board when Gregory Hankerson found Richard Lopez with a 17-yard touchdown pass with 1:42 to play in the third.

Then Northeast started having trouble snapping the ball on punts, and the errant snaps gave Boyd Anderson the ball deep in Northeast territory multiple times in the fourth quarter. A bad snap gave Boyd Anderson the ball at the Northeast 27 at the start of the fourth, and after converting a first down after being in a third-and-30 situation from the 47, Hankerson hit Lopez again, this time for a 16-yard touchdown.

It happened again on the next possession, another bad snap on a punt. This time, B.A. took over at the 30, but the Canes defense stood strong and forced a missed field goal.

The Cobras had one final chance after taking over at the Canes’ 30-yard line once again, but the defense stood up again and made another huge stop with 35 seconds to play to secure the big win.

Before all the excitement in the fourth quarter, the Canes simply dominated all over the field.

Wallace picked off huge gains of 27, 44, 33, 32, 14 and 13 yards en route to a career game. Stacey Coley came up with another interception, one of three the Canes had which set up scores.

An interception by Jesse Mann set up the first touchdown, an 8-yard run by Brion Sanchious. Another interception by George Heck gave the Canes the ball at the B.A. 6, and Timonte King scored, giving the Canes a 12-0 lead in the first quarter.

Coley’s interception in the third set up King’s second touchdown run, and it looked like the Canes would run away with it. But B.A. would simply not go away.

“Something we talk about all the time is finishing,” Bennett said. “I’m a little disappointed in that, but I’ve got some drills ready for them so we can work on finishing.”