(KTNC) - Ashland-Greenwood held off Falls City 23-14 Friday night at Memorial Stadium in Ashland, in the season-opening football game for both teams.
Falls City got on the scoreboard first, late in the first quarter, when Jordy Stoller took a pitch from Mitchell Harling on a reverse and outran the defense, 42 yards for the touchdown.  The two-point conversion made it 8-0 Tigers after one quarter.
The Bluejays controlled the second quarter, scoring 17 unanswered points.  Bo Kitrell had a 19-yard touchdown run, quarterback Gunner Garner connected with Tyler Craven on a seven-yard scoring pass, and Ben Stille connected on a 20-yard field goal with five seconds remaining in the quarter to give Ashland-Greenwood a 17-8 halftime lead.
Falls City came out strong in the second half.  The Tigers got on the board again with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter, when Brenden Heckenlively capped a 92 yard drive with a 42-yard TD run.  Falls City trailed by three after the two-point conversion came up short.
Ashland-Greenwood answered in the fourth quarter.  Garner scored on a seven yard run with 4:46 remaining, capping an 80-yard drive.  The touchdown was set up by a 61-yard pass play from Garner to Craven.  The extra point was blocked leaving the score at 23-14.
Falls City thought they got the six points back on the ensuing kick-off.  Ryan Mount took the ball at the 10 yard line and broke through the defense for what appeared to be a 90-yard return for a touchdown.
But the Tigers were flagged for an illegal block in the back. They took the ball at the Bluejay 30 yard line, but were unable to get the ball into the end zone.
Stoller finished with 102 yards rushing for Falls City.  Harling had 39 yards on 16 carries.  Garner led the Bluejays with 79 yards rushing, and he completed 7-of-10 passes for 135 yards.
Falls City plays its first home game of the seson Friday night, when they host Raymond Central, which defeated Douglas County West 33-12 Friday night.