By BRIAN RICKERD

Contributing Writer

FRANKFORT — Western Hills junior running back Wandale Robinson and Garrard County senior back Josh Warren were both largely unstoppable Friday night, but Robinson’s Wolverines got the last word in, rallying past the Golden Lions, 40-36, in a thriller at Western Hills.

Western Hills improved to 6-2 overall and 1-1 in district play heading into a game at Boyle County Friday, while hard-luck Garrard County fell to 3-5 and 0-2 heading into a game at Lexington Catholic Friday.

The stage was set  for a classic finish at Western Hills Friday when junior David Pennington of Garrard County scored on a one-yard plunge with 1:03 left in the game to give the Golden Lions a 36-34 lead.

But on the ensuing kickoff, the Golden Lions initially tried an onside kick to keep the way away from Robinson, who had rushed for some 264 yards on 13 carries and scored five touchdowns already.

Garrard County, however, was called for offsides and had to re-kick, and this time the Golden Lions went deep with the kickoff.

Junior Logan Bell of Western Hills fielded the ball around the Western Hills 10 and pitched it to a trailing Robinson, who raced some 90 yards for what proved to be the game-winner.

Garrard County took over on its’ 35 after that score, but could not do any damage in the closing seconds.

Robinson scored three TDs in each half.

His first-half scores came on runs of 67-, 69- and 42-yards, and gave Western Hills a 19-14 halftime lead.

His first two scores of the second half came on 58- and 24-yards leading up to that kickoff return.

Western Hills’ final two touchdowns enabled Western Hills to overcome a 30-19 Garrard County lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter.

Robinson’s heroics left Garrard County’s Warren a tragic hero. Warren finished the game with a I-will-not-be-denied 305 yards on a workhorse 41 carries, with two touchdowns — on runs of 32- and 49-yards. The Golden Lions’ Pennington kept the Western Hills defense honest, however, scoring all three Garrard County touchdowns in the second half, on runs of 4, 4 and the final 1-yard run.

Pennington rushed 11 times for 59 yards.

The Robinson-Warren show started early.

Robinson rushed eight times for 187 yards in the first half, while Warren rushed 23 times in the half for  202 yards.