The Pelham Panthers kept their playoff hopes alive in a difficult Class 6A, Region 6 Friday night, edging county rival Thompson, 13-10, in the final minutes of play.

Pelham quarterback Josh Thomason completed a five-yard pass to receiver Andrew Davis with one minutes, three seconds left in the game to lift his team over the Warriors and move the Panthers’ record to 5-2.

&8221;Defensively, I thought we played really well,&8220; Pelham head coach Brett Burnett said of his team’s effort. &8221;We scored on the first drive and the last drive; but I do think we struggled to put more points on the board.&8220;

In a storyline that has become all too familiar for the struggling Warriors, Thompson let a late-game lead slip away.

Up 10-6 on a 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Myles to Devin Onarheim and a 24-yard field goal by Rusty Herring, the Warriors were unable to hold off Thomason and a determined Pelham offense.

Thomason finished the game completing 24-of-42 passes for 202 yards and two scores to Davis. Davis reeled in 113 yards on 11 catches and found the end zone twice.

&8221;Andrew Davis had a big game for us,&8220; Burnett said. &8221;He ran good routes and was where we needed him to be.&8220;

Both teams continue a grueling Region 6 schedule this week as Pelham travels to face the Hoover Buccaneers and Thompson heads to Heardmont Park to take on the Oak Mountain Eagles.

Oak Mountain currently sits tied with Mountain Brook in the region with a 3-1 record, one place ahead of the 2-2 Pelham Panthers. As the race for the top four spots in Region 6 is decided, a Warrior win at Oak Mountain could mean playoffs for the Panthers.

&8221;We’re scraping and scrapping right now in the region,&8220; Burnett said. But the Panthers’ head coach also knows just how difficult the road is ahead.

&8221;We need to win one of our last two games in the region,&8220; he said. &8221;If we can’t get fired up to play Hoover then we can’t get fired up against anybody.&8220;

The Bucs remain on top of Region 6 with a perfect 4-0 record, and Burnett said he is confident his team will show up ready to play the defending 6A state champs.

&8221;We have to play our best game of the season, there’s no doubt about it.&8220;