Atlee was determined to win Friday night.

  Despite four fumbles in the first quarter – three of them lost to visiting Hanover – the Raiders never wavered in their relentlessly attacking offense. That persistence paid off in a gutsy 24-14 upset win over the No. 2-ranked Hawks.

  The game was in doubt until the final two minutes, when the Raiders took advantage of a Hanover fumble deep in Hawk territory. Joseph Pulisic kicked a 33-yard field goal to quell any chance of a Hanover comeback.

  Brian Ratchford recovered the fumble in a desperate scrum at the bottom of a pile after the ball was knocked out of Hanover running back L.J. Jones’ hands.

  “I just yanked it out,” Ratchford said. “When I realized I had it I was trying to get up and everybody was holding me down. Someone was trying to take it from me. I was just pulling as hard as I could to keep it. I was pumped up that we had the ball.”

  Ratchford wasn’t the only one. The Atlee stands were rocking like an earthquake hit the field when Raiders’ fans realized what happened.

  Few expected the No. 7-ranked Raiders to defeat the Hawks.

  “Words can’t explain how big of a victory this was,” said Atlee quarterback Ruben Rucker, who completed 15 passes in 26 attempts for 185 yards and who chipped in one touchdown rushing. “Nobody believed we were going to win. All the newspapers, magazines, TV, Web sites, whatever, they all predicted us to lose. But we came out on top – thank God.”

  Rucker expected a hard-fought game, but never doubted the Raiders (5-0, 2-0 Capital) would win.

  “I knew we were going to struggle. I knew they were going to punch us in the mouth,” Rucker said. “But I knew my team. Our mental toughness is crazy – it’s crazy. We don’t give up at any point in the game. I knew we were going to come out on top in this game.”

  When Roscoe Johnson took over as head coach at Atlee, he emphasized mental and physical toughness. The victory over Hanover proves the emphasis has paid off, at least in terms of maturity.

  “This is a totally different ball club than I’ve had in the past,” Johnson said. “This group doesn’t give up. This group, their intensity is never too high and never low. It’s right there in the middle. This group does a great job of weathering the storm. I’m just proud of them.”

  Hanover (4-1, 1-1) is regarded as one of the area’s most physical teams, and that physicality played a role in some of the Raiders’ early turnovers.

  “We made some mistakes, and that’s because they are a great ball club,” Johnson said. “We knew they were physical, especially up front. Defensively they fly to the ball and they will hit you. … Two good teams came out ready to play, and we were blessed and fortunate enough to get the win.”

  Despite all the turnovers, neither team scored in the first quarter. Atlee began its first scoring drive late in the second quarter on the Hanover 48. After losing a couple of yards, Rucker connected with Will McCombs for a 38-yard advance to the 12-yard line. Three plays later, Jarred Hall scored on a 2-yard run.

  Hanover responded immediately with a 15-play, 70-yard drive to tie the game on a 5-yard run by Hawks quarterback Sam Rogers with 55.6 seconds left in the half. After the ensuing kickoff, the Raiders only took 35 seconds to go ahead again on a 1-yard run by Rucker.

  At the beginning of the second half, the Hawks scored on a 96-yard run by L.J. Jones, but the Raiders were far from demoralized.

  “They knew it was OK,” Johnson said. “They knew that our offense would score.”

  Atlee wasted no time doing so. The Raiders marched 56 yards in nine plays, scoring on a 4-yard run by Hall with 7:39 left in the third quarter.

  That left plenty of time for Hanover’s offense to come back, but the Raiders’ defense repeatedly found a way to stop the Hawks.

  “Defensively we’re not going to get down,” Johnson said. “That’s the huge difference in this ball club this year. Offensively, we can score. Defensively, we can hold some teams.”

  Nevertheless, Hanover refused to roll over, but when Pulisic kicked a 33-yard field goal with little more than two minutes left, the Hawks’ chances dimmed considerably.

  Hanover’s chances fell to zero with 1:41 left when Atlee defensive back Austin Sutherland intercepted Rogers for the second time that night.

Hanover….................. 0   7 7 0—14
Atlee…....................... 0 14 7 3—24

A – Hall 2 run (Pulisic kick)
H – Rogers 5 rum (Palmen kick)
A – Rucker 1 run (Pulisic kick)
H – LJones 96 tun (Palmen kick)
A – Hall 4 run (Pulisic kick)
A – Pulisic FG 33

RUSHING: Hanover – Rogers 28 carries 113 yards, LJones 16-160. Atlee – Rucker 19-3, Hall 24-138.
PASSING: Hanover – Rogers 2 completions 9 attempts 13 yards, 2 interceptions. Atlee – Rucker 15-26-185-2.
RECEIVING: Hanover – Holland 1 reception 2 yards, Mahmood 1-11. Atlee – Simpson 1-0, Williams 6-85, McCombs 4-92, Combs 2-(minus 2), Jacobs 2-10.
Records: Hanover (4-1, 1-1 Capital), Atlee (5-0, 2-0).