UNION — An instant classic.

That is how one could describe Friday night’s Four Rivers Conference (FRC) football game between the Owensville Dutchmen and Union Wildcats played at Union High School’s E.A. Stierberger Stadium.

Trailing 14-0 after one quarter, Owensville rattled off 21 unanswered points to go into halftime with a 21-14 lead.

Tied at 28-28 after three quarters, OHS kicked a field goal with 6:15 remaining before both teams traded touchdowns.

The final score of the game came on a Blake Elliott 3-yard touchdown run with :26 left in Owensville’s 38-35 homecoming-spoiling victory.

“Our guys just kept working hard and playing and it paid off,” Dutchmen head football coach Dustin Howard said. “We gave up some big plays but we were able to answer them.”

Union’s Hayden Parmenter scored a pair of rushing touchdowns from 12 and 48 yards away helping the host Wildcats lead the Dutchmen 14-0 after 12 minutes.

Ending the first quarter with the football, it did not take long for the Dutchmen to get on the board in the second quarter.

Capping a nine-play, 80-yard drive, Elliott found Chase Crosby in the corner of the end zone on a 17-yard TD strike at the 10:48 mark of the half.

Elliott threw for 305 yards on 18-31 passing to go with three touchdowns.

Johannes Berg’s kicked extra point cut the Dutchmen deficit in half to 14-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, Union fumbled the ball only to have Owensville freshman Liam Rasmussen recover it to bring the Dutchmen offense back on to the field at the Wildcat 29-yard line.

Taking advantage of the short field, Elliott capped a five-play, 29-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run.

Berg’s kick tied it at 14-14 with 7:34 until halftime.

Later in the quarter, Logan Bailey recovered another Union fumble setting the Dutchmen up with a first down at the Wildcat 12-yard line with 1:21 until halftime.

Faced with third-and-22 after penalties for delay of game and a block in the back, Elliott found Zaiden Gates on a 24-yard touchdown pass with :25 for the half.

Berg’s kick gave the Dutchmen their first lead of the game at 21-14 going into halftime.

Turning the ball over on downs to open the second half, Owensville saw Union’s offense go right back to their rushing attack.

Parmenter scored his third rushing touchdown of the game from 42-yards away at the 7:44 mark of the quarter.

Ardell Young’s third extra-point kick of the night knotted the game at 21-21.

Parmenter finished with 227 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Two plays later, Elliott found Tanner Meyer on a 54-yard TD pass giving OHS a 28-21 lead on Berg’s fourth extra point of the night with 7:27 for the quarter.

Meyer finished with 189 yards receiving on 11 catches and a score.

Parmenter answered again from 33 yards away tying the game at 28-28 with 3:41 for the third on Young’s latest extra point.

Tied at 28-28 after three quarters, Owensville struck first in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard field goal from Berg for a 31-28 Dutchmen lead with 6:15 remaining.

Staying with the ground attack, Wyatt Birke scored from 21 yards away from Union giving them a 35-31 lead with 4:06 left in the game.

Starting from their 20, the Dutchmen had 4:06 to go 80 yards for the lead.

Faced with fourth-and-8 at the Union 14, Elliott found Landon Ely on an 11-yard completion for a first down three plays after Ely dropped a similar pass.

On the very next play, Elliott scored his second rushing touchdown from 3 yards away with :36 left.

Berg’s fifth extra point gave the Dutchmen their final margin of victory.

Bailey led the Dutchmen defense with 13 total tackles followed by 12 from Adam Wilson.