He had just handed Laney an easy touchdown, but B.J. Bostic didn’t return to his Jefferson County sideline to mope.

Pointing toward the Laney stands, in a frenzy for the first time Friday night, he hollered toward his teammates and coaches.

“We’re going right down the field and make them sit down,” Bostic remembered saying.

Eight plays later he was right. That’s when Bostic ran for the last of his two touchdowns. Jefferson County needed both of them in a season-opening 23-21 Region 3-AA win over Laney on Friday night.

It was a wild game -- Laney had just one first down in the second half, but it was driving for a chance to win the game in the final seconds -- befitting of a region that figures to be among the most competitive in the state. Eight of its 11 teams made the playoffs last season. Only four will go this year.

“Every single one of them is going to be this tough,” Warriors coach J.B. Arnold said.

Bostic, a junior, finished with 129 yards rushing and 142 yards passing. A.J. Nelson added 93 yards and a score on the ground.

Jefferson County led 17-0 when Bostic juked his way into the end zone from 18 yards out late in the third quarter. The game appeared over.

“I wasn’t thinking that,” Arnold said. “They are too good.”

Laney, which had 35 yards of offense in the first half and 50 yards of penalties, didn’t score their first touchdown until 50 seconds were left in the third quarter.

“We just came out with no heart,” Laney senior Eugene Moore said.

The Wildcats 58 seconds later snatched the game’s momentum when Mike Peppers intercepted Bostic and returned the ball nine yards into the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter.

But Bostic led the Warriors back down the field, converting a key fourth-and-7 along the way, and giving Jefferson County a 23-14 lead with 7:54 left.

Cameron Stallings scored from 1 yard out for Laney with 4:11 to go, and the Wildcats got the ball back with 85 seconds left on their own 35.

Facing a fourth-and-15 50 yards away from the end zone, the Wildcats emptied their backfield and sent Moore on a vertical route.

Quarterback Kwame Cunningham floated the ball toward his wide-open running back, but the ball sailed just past his fingertips and bounced into the end zone.

“It was close, real close,” Moore said.