HUDSON, Ohio – When two teams with similar identities compete, the team that makes fewer mistakes usually wins.

When Hudson’s John Ploskunak intercepted a pass from Highland’s Dylan Borla late in the third quarter and the Explorers scored their second touchdown within 28 seconds and went into the final quarter with a 24-17 lead, the Hornets’ chances of winning seemed slim.

However, thanks to the consistent substitution of junior running back Casey Myser, the Hornets kept the game under control in the fourth quarter.

After tying the score with a 10-yard touchdown run midway through the final period, Myser found the end zone again with 1:04 left to give Highland a 31-24 victory on Friday night at Hudson Memorial Stadium.

“For (Myser) to come in tonight and do what he did is really unbelievable,” Highland head coach Mike Gibbons said. “He hasn’t practiced in a week and a half. He’s got a huge hole in his elbow right now. He padded it and played.”

Myser, who was declared healthy by a doctor this morning after a skin infection, had 33 rushing yards in the first half and finished the day with a game-winning 4-yard touchdown run to cap a 159-yard evening.

Myser would not have made it there, however, if Lucas Gerding had not given him the necessary lead with a stunning 32-meter run.

“I got the handoff and ran to the sideline. I didn’t see a big hole, so I just put my foot on the ground and tried to get as many yards forward as I could,” Gerding said. “The guy hit me and I just tried to fight through the tackle. I ended up putting my hand on the ground and spinning away. I didn’t hear the whistle, so I just kept running.”

Highland, ranked 11th in their respective Suburban League conferences in cleveland.com’s Preseason Top 25 rankings, and Hudson, ranked 12th, were mirror images of each other in the first half.

Each of them placed importance on establishing the run, but was more successful when passing the ball over long distances.

After scoring field goals of 34 and 38 yards, Hudson quarterback Nathan Judy rolled out of the pocket and found Mark Salem further down the field for a 28-yard touchdown.

Highland quarterback Dylan Borla didn’t let himself be outdone and found receivers for gains of 7, 25 and 13 yards to set up a QB sneak and tie the game at 10-10 just before halftime.

Highland came out of that break and mounted a bold attack. After a couple of quick runs by Myser, Borla found Evan Foust, who scored a 25-yard touchdown pass to give the Hornets the lead.

The drive also made it clear that Highland remembered Hudson’s 35-21 win in this game last year and learned from those mistakes.

“We learned last year: It was a close game at halftime and then we came out and couldn’t respond,” Gibbons said. “Today we did the opposite. We came out in the second half and had a really good attack. They obviously took the momentum away from us there, but we were able to get it back.”

The Explorers responded with a drive of their own that ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by Brennan Funyak, tying the game at 17-17.

Ploskunak intercepted the first play on Highland’s next possession and Hudson running back Reno Ferri rushed 30 yards into the end zone to give the Explorers a 24-17 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Ferri finished the game with 99 yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts, while Judy had 163 yards and a touchdown on 12 of 22 passes.

Borla completed 12 of 15 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown, along with 73 rushing yards, a touchdown and, most importantly, a road win to open the season.

Hudson will be back at home for next week’s game against North Canton Hoover, while Highland will host North Royalton for its first home game in another Suburban League crossover game.