Don’t ever count out conversions.

Decatur learned that lesson Saturday, October 10 in a battle with Bethel.

The Gators only lost to the Braves, 27-26, but missed a two-point conversion that would have given them the lead.

Decatur also missed two conversion kicks earlier that would have been worth one point each and put the Gators into a lead or a tie by the end of the game. The Gators did make one two-point conversion in the third quarter, but a penalty flag was thrown for holding and Decatur missed when it regrouped and tried a pass to make up the extra 10 yards.

Beamer led, 26-21, after that play, and Bethel tried for two after it scored with 2:06 to play in the game and came up short on the run to only lead by the 27-26 final margin.

“The kids came out and played hard,” said Gators head coach Leon Hatch. “It was a tough game and the kids played well. It’s a tough one.”

Decatur got the ball back on its own 20 and marched to the Braves’ 15 until they faced a third and 10 with 3.8 seconds left. Nick Belcourt came on to try a 32-yard potentially winning field goal, but the ball slipped under the crossbar and Bethel players immediately jumped up and down and ran onto the field.