FERRIDAY — In what amounted to a District 6-A championship game, the Huntington Hounds made too many mistakes to overcome a fine defensive performance in a 16-12 loss to Glenbrook.

The Hounds (6-3, 6-1) stopped Glenbrook (7-2, 6-1) inside the 5-yard line on three separate drives but lost two fumbles and gave up a safety to contribute to the loss.

“The defense played well enough to win the game,” Huntington coach Chad Harkins said. “But the turnovers hurt our cause and helped set up some of the scores they had.”

Glenbrook took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field to score the first touchdown of the game.

The Apaches converted three third downs and one fourth down on the drive, which ended when quarterback Hunter Leppert found Jake Byrd over the middle for a 16-yard scoring strike.

Glenbrook had a chance to take a big early lead following a Huntington fumble on their second play from scrimmage, but Byrd lost a fumble on the 1-yard line to stop the drive.

Huntington tied the score at 6 when Jody Cottongin broke loose from 39 yards out late in the second quarter.

The Hounds then took a 12-6 lead on a 70-yard Cottongin run on Huntington’s first play of the second half.

However, the remainder of the half was dominated by Glenbrook.

The Hounds turned back the Apaches twice inside the 5 in the third quarter, once when Leppert threw an interception in the end zone and another time when they were stopped on downs at the 2.

However, after the second stop, the Huntington offense let Glenbrook right back in it when they botched a handoff and quarterback Chuck Bowie had to fall on the ball in the end zone for a safety to make the score 12-8.

Huntington held after the free kick but the Hound offense went three and out and was forced to punt.

Preston Wise fielded the punt at midfield and raced 44 yards down the sideline to the 6.

It took the Apaches three plays to get to the 1 and on fourth and goal, Wise hit the center of the line and was ruled to have crossed the goal line with 7:28 remaining, despite the avid protestations of the Huntington bench.

“We kept fighting back,” Glenbrook coach Jerry Almond said. “It would have been easy for us to get down after not pushing it across (the goal line) the other times, but we fought back. I’m proud of them.”

Huntington had one more chance to win the game, but was stopped on fourth down at the Apache 45-yard line.

Glenbrook was then able to run out the clock.

With the loss, Huntington will most likely be the No. 2 seed in the district going into the playoffs and will have to travel for the first round.

“We wanted the No. 1 seed and district championship,” Harkins said. “But whoever we play in the playoffs we would have to beat sooner or later. We just want to get in there and compete.”