The first five minutes between the Golden Falcons and Panthers had the bleachers buzzing; after the schools traded touchdowns, it felt like a shootout, double-overtime thriller.

While it was a thriller that took two overtime periods to determine a victor, there were just 17 combined points scored.

A Caleb Hummel field goal finally brought a conclusion to Friday night’s slugfest, 10-7, lifting the Winchester Community High School football team to 2-0.

“[Hummel] came in today and took every snap at tailback, played safety for the first time since high school, and had the game winner,” Falcons head coach Mike Jones said. “It just goes to show how valuable he is to this team.”

Both offenses went silent after the pair of opening scores, leaving the Tri-Eastern Conference rivals deadlocked at the end of regulation.

When Panthers kicker Grace Behny took the field in an attempt to drill the game-winning field goal in overtime, it felt all but over. But the blocking unit failed her, leading to double overtime.

This time, where the Panthers failed, the Falcons succeeded, with Hummel kicking the field goal to win it after three straight carries.

Amidst the joy of a walk-off win, there was one missing piece on the Falcons sideline. Aidan Weatherhead, a key member of the squad, had lost his father, Todd, to ALS just hours earlier. The hoots and hollers became hugs and tears for the loss of a father and friend.

In a touching moment, both teams held a prayer for him on the 50-yard line. Opponents and teammates locked arms to wish the Weatherheads well.

“I’m not upset about the score tonight,” Panthers assistant coach Jim Cobb said. “These two teams battled with such high emotion, and I’m so proud of the guys on both sides.”

After the opening kickoff, Panthers quarterback Bryor Carmichael threw a lateral to Jameson Crawford, who found receiver Gage Broady streaking down the field for six on the first play.

“The trick play was really well executed by the Panthers,” Jones said. “But outside of that one play, I think our defense was on fire all game.”

The Golden Falcons (2-0, 1-0 TEC) responded with their ground-and-pound offense, capping off a long drive with a bubble screen to the versatile Carter Campbell to tie the contest up at 7-7 early.

Knightstown used a bubble screen of its own on the next drive, converting on fourth down. However, it was called back for offensive holding and the punt unit took the field, much to the chagrin of the Panthers coaching staff

“We have a lot to learn from tonight,” Cobb said. “The best teacher in sports is failure. We have to learn how to take those failures and use them for progress moving forward.”

The rest of the quarter would be controlled by the Falcons, with rushing attempts traded between quarterback Cam Baldwin, Campbell and Hummel. Twice on the drive, Baldwin’s helmet was ripped off in scrums and penalty flags flew.

Winchester’s scoring hopes were squandered, however, when Baldwin rolled to his left and missed his receiver, with the ball falling into the arms of Panthers defensive back Aaron Mefford for the first of his two interceptions.

The next time the Falcons had possession, Baldwin underthrew a post route, and the streaky Mefford tallied another pick.

“[Mefford] is an amazing kid,” Cobb said. “He’s fought through a lot, and he took this offseason to put work in; it’s shown a number of times already this year.”

The half ended at 7-7 after the teams traded three-and-outs, but the Falcons would get the first chance to score in the third. Hummel took a sweep down the left sideline for a 58-yard touchdown, but it was called back for offensive holding. Both defenses showed out afterward, changing the game to a battle of punts until the end of the third quarter, when the Panthers faced fourth-and-1. A handoff inside to Crawford would move the sticks, but Carmichael threw an interception to Landen Porfidio moments later.

Winchester couldn’t take advantage, though, as the final four minutes of regulation were an emotional rollercoaster of punts, missed opportunities and frustration.

“With field position, and the way things were moving, it felt to me like we had the edge in the second half,” Jones said. “We just couldn’t finish the job in those moments.”

The Falcons will look to stay unbeaten in a trip to Northeastern (2-0, 2-0 TEC) next week.