MOORE — It may have lasted only a few fleeting moments, but it was the greatest ride of Ryan Sheldon’s life.

After his 34-yard field goal with 1 second left on the clock gave Moore a 29-26 victory over rival Southmoore, Sheldon was hoisted on his teammates’ shoulders and carried for about five seconds. It was more than enough for the junior kicker.

“It was the happiest moment of my life up to this point,” Sheldon said. “It was amazing. It feels real good to beat a rival school.”

Not only did Sheldon and his Moore teammates win the first installment of the Clash of the Big Cats, but they also earned their first victory of the year Friday at Moore Stadium.

“We had to win,” senior quarterback Ronson Calfy said. “It feels great finally to win. Especially since they had been talking so much stuff. It feels really good to come out here and win.”

But it was not easy. The Lions got the ball with less than 6 minutes on the clock and the score tied 26-26. Calfy hadn’t had a premier game up to that point, but he drove his squad down the field with the help of a crucial pass interference call on fourth-and-12 with 25 seconds left in the game.

That penalty set up Sheldon’s game-winning kick. Southmoore coach Chris Jensen called timeout twice to freeze the kicker, but Sheldon drilled it inside the left goalpost as the Moore fans and players erupted.

“Oh my freaking God. I just did that,” Sheldon said. “My legs were shaking. It was crazy. I was smiling when they called the timeout. They think they can freeze me. They can’t. I’m going to kick it.”

The big plays Moore (1-8, 1-5 District 6A-1) had been searching for all year finally showed up against the SaberCats (2-7, 1-5). On the first possession of the game, Taylor Johnson sprang loose for a 60-yard run. Two plays later, the senior tailback scored from 5 yards out.

On the next possession, Calfy put Moore up 14-0 with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone.

Southmoore’s Derek Serowski stepped up on both sides of the ball. He started with snagging an interception when Calfy tried to hit Taylor Gardner in the end zone.

Serowski then caught an 8-yard pass for a touchdown with 8:06 left in the second quarter to close gap to seven points.

Moore answered by driving 80 yards and running more than 7 minutes off the clock before Sheldon kicked a 25-yard field goal. Moore led 17-7 at halftime.

On the first play of the second half, the Cats struck. Freshman Andrew Long reeled off a 65-yard run down to the 5-yard line. Two plays later, he broke a couple of tackles on his way to a 1-yard touchdown. Jensen went for the 2-point conversion and Long was stuffed in the backfield. But Southmoore only trailed 17-13.

However, Moore didn’t waste any time responding. Calfy hit Gardner for a 28-yard touchdown pass. Gardner’s diving catch put the Lions up by 11.

The touchdowns kept coming when Moss hit Austin Reece on an 8-yard score on fourth down late in the third quarter.

After they pinned the Cats at the 3 yard line with a quick kick, Moore’s Aaron Gustafson blitzed up the middle on the first play of the series. He caught Long in the backfield and slung him down behind the goal line for a safety and Moore led 26-19.

However, a fumble by Johnson gave the ball back to the Cats near midfield.

And with less than 6 minutes left in game, Jensen gambled once again. On fourth-and-2 at the Lions 5 yard line, he gave the ball to the freshman. Long, who rushed for 118 yards, bulled his way over two Moore defenders and into the end zone. The game was tied at 26-26 with 5:40 left.

However, the Cats left too much time on the clock.

“I think we played with great heart and determination,” Jensen said. “I am proud of the kids. We came up short. Sometimes you don’t have control over the scoreboard. You have to give credit to Moore and the job Scott Myers has done. They really battled hard.”