Green Hill lost 23-21 to Gallatin on Saturday, Sept. 19, after a 48-yard field goal with 5:28 left capped a game shaped by special-teams plays.

The Hawks led 21-20 in the fourth quarter. Then an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on third-and-nine gave Gallatin new life, and kicker Austin Ashabranner drilled the go-ahead field goal to put the Green Wave ahead for good, as first reported by Main Street Media.

Green Hill coach Josh Crouch said the official told his staff that a Hawks coach was standing too close to a Gallatin player. "Didn't say that he said anything bad or wrong," Crouch told Main Street Media, "just said that the coach was close to a player."

The penalty moved the ball closer and set up Ashabranner's 48-yarder.

The Hawks (3-2, 0-1 Region 4-6A) had taken the lead on Zilon Beard's 19-yard touchdown run with 11:19 remaining. John Horlacher's extra point made it 21-20, capitalizing on Ashabranner's missed PAT earlier in the game.

Green Hill's offense struck early. Marshall commit Will Butler scored twice in the first quarter: a 2-yard run on a direct snap for a 7-0 lead, then a 64-yard touchdown catch from sophomore quarterback Seth Frankenfield to push it to 14-7.

Gallatin answered on special teams both times. Asher Mooney returned a kickoff 45 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7. Preston Mooney then blocked a Green Hill punt in the second quarter, setting up a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Landry Roddy to K'Saun Barksdale that gave Gallatin a 20-14 halftime lead.

After Ashabranner's field goal, Green Hill had one last chance with 5:27 on the clock. The Hawks drove near midfield before Gallatin's Jason Morton, Preston Mooney and Ashton Gilchrest stopped the final two plays to end it.

The loss drops Green Hill to 0-1 in Region 4-6A play. The Hawks won three region titles in the past five seasons, per the program's social media accounts, and entered the Gallatin game riding a 28-3 win over Centennial the previous week.

Gallatin improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2019.

Green Hill faces Glencliff on Friday, Oct. 2.