CLEMENTS —  It took more than four hours and 16 touchdowns, but West Limestone finally put away a relentless Clements team in a four-overtime thriller Friday. Stevie Romero scored the final two points for West Limestone as the Wildcats outlasted their rival 54-53.

“When it got down to overtime, it was like somebody was always making a play out there,” West Limestone head coach David Arnsparger said. “You go for two and you miss … you go for one and it gets blocked. It was incredible.”

With only a few dozen players playing both sides of the ball on each team, these county rivals left it all on the field in the season opener for both teams. In the end, it was the Wildcats ground game that proved too much for Colts. West Limestone rushed for more than 300 yards on the ground.

“I was real pleased with our offensive line,” Arnsparger said. “These kids know what to do — they play hard. When you get the ball and people are blocked, you are supposed to go make plays. Our offensive line did a great job.”

Clements trailed by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but forced overtime with two big pass plays from Marcus McNaughton to Demarcus Johnson late in the game. After a personal foul penalty set Clements up at the West 35-yard line, Johnson got behind the Wildcat defense to tie the game at 34-34.

Colts’ kicker Austin Sims who was perfect to that point on extra points, kicked the ball into a swirling wind and short of the crossbar. Sims would later make Clements’ final point of the night on a successful extra point in the fourth overtime period.

Clements thought it had won the game once again in the first overtime period after West Limestone failed to convert on a two-point try. Trailing by six points, the Colts tied the score on a McNaughton to Colton Kimbrough touchdown connection and were an extra point away from victory. A determined West Limestone defense blocked the extra point and sent the game into a second overtime.

Clements quickly scored when McNaughton connected with Jimmy Marsh for the second time to take a 46-40 lead. After another missed extra point attempt, West Limestone had a chance to put the game away following Logan Pugh’s 2-yard touchdown run, but the kick was wide left sending it into a third overtime.

The fourth overtime proved to be the decisive one for West Limestone. After Johnson put the Colts ahead on a 3-yard run, West answered two plays later when Caleb McConnell found Aaron McWilliams in the corner of the end zone for six. Romero sealed the win with a slashing run toward the right side of the field for a successful two-point conversion.

Running a new offensive system, West Limestone rushed for 301 yards out of the Wing-T formation. The Wildcats handed it off to seven different running backs, led by Pugh and Tyler Mewbourn. Mewbourn ran for 80 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries while Pugh carried the ball 14 times for 86 yards and three touchdowns. Pugh also had a receiving touchdown and ran for a successful two-point conversion in the third quarter.

Senior quarterback Caleb McConnell threw for 131 yards and three touchdowns. McWilliams led the Wildcats in receiving with four receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Johnson and McNaughton had big nights for Clements in the losing effort. Johnson had four receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball 20 times for 73 yards and two touchdowns.

McNaughton finished the game 13-of-26 for 324 yards and five touchdowns. Marsh caught four of his passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns. The game’s only turnover came on a lost West Limestone fumble in the first quarter.

West Limestone (1-0) hosts Brooks (1-0) next week, while Clements (0-1) welcomes West Morgan.