BROWNWOOD, Texas - The Belhaven football team wrapped up the 2016 season on a positive note, earning a 50-45 victory over Howard Payne University Saturday afternoon inside Gordon Wood Stadium. 

The game began with Howard Payne's Tracy Morrison returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.

Belhaven got on the board with 7:32 remaining in the first quarter as Octavious Arrington finished off an 11-play, 75-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run. Three minutes before the end of the first quarter, Alonso Acosta knocked in a 25-yard field goal to give the Blazers a 10-7 lead. 

After the Belhaven defense forced the Yellow Jackets to turn the ball over on downs for a second straight possession, quarterback Hunter McEachern threw a 32-yard score to Darien Thomas just nine seconds into the second quarter. 

Howard Payne found the end zone on the ensuing possession to trim Belhaven's lead back to three points, but the Blazers quickly responded as McEachern and Thomas connected for another touchdown, making the score 24-14 in favor of the Green and Gold. 

The Blazers extended their lead to 17 points at the 8:22 mark of the second quarter when Jaquay Daniels hauled in a 66-yard touchdown reception. 

Howard Payne converted a field goal as time expired in the first half to make it a 31-17 game heading into the halftime break. 

The Yellow Jackets came out strong to start the second half, scoring two touchdowns unanswered to draw within two points of the Blazers. 

Thomas continued to make plays for Belhaven, catching his third touchdown of the game with 5:21 to play in the third quarter, to give the Blazers a 37-29 lead. However, the Belhaven extra point attempt was blocked, and the Yellow Jackets managed to recover the loose ball and run it back 98 yards for two points. 

Early in the fourth, the Blazers found themselves trailing for the first time since the first period, as Ivy Smith found Trey Potter for a seven-yard score to give Howard Payne a 38-37 lead. 

That lead would not last long, however, as McEachern tossed an eight-yard pass to Daniels in the end zone just two minutes later, putting Behaven back up five points. 

The Blazers added a much-needed insurance score with just over six minutes to play when Thomas recorded a school-record fourth touchdown reception. 

But the Yellow Jackets weren't going to go away that easy, registering their fourth touchdown of the second half with 4:06 left on the game clock and forcing the Blazers to punt on their ensuing possession. With 2:53 to play, Howard Payne took possession of the ball from their own 30-yard line trailing by just five points.

An eight-yard rush and a seven-yard completion got the Yellow Jackets up to their own 45-yard line, but the Blazers' Latevinan Glass came up with a clutch interception to seal the game for Belhaven.

With the win, the Blazers finish the 2016 season with a 2-8 record.

The Green and Gold finished today's game with 157 total rushing yards, their second-highest mark of the season. Fredrick Smith ran for 74 yards on nine carries while Arrington recorded 55 yards on 10 attempts.

McEachern finished with six passing touchdowns, tying the Belhaven program record set by Jerred Wallace in 2009. McEachen also tallied 428 passing yard with 37 completions.

Thomas led the receiving corps with 115 on six catches while Daniels collected 99 yards on five receptions.

Denarrius Noel paced the Belhaven defense with 11 total tackles while senior Alvin Vaughn added eight total tackles. Keith Marshall chipped in with six tackles and two sacks for a total loss of 18 yards.

The Blazers finish the 2016 season with team program records in passing attempts (701) and passing touchdowns (34), and were just three completions shy and seven passing yards short of the school records in those categories.  

For the latest news on Belhaven Blazers athletics, follow @BelhavenBlazers on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.