Salem was so close to its first victory of the season Friday night, the Rocks could taste it.

  Unfortunately, the game ended on a sour note.

  After Salem forged ahead, 31-24, in overtime on a Drew Thompson to Bryan Auquier third-down slant pass, South Lyon drew to within 31-30 on a third-down quarterback keeper.

  The Lions then converted a do-or-die two-point conversion to pull out a 32-31 victory.

  "I was very proud of the way the guys kept fighting tonight," said Salem head coach Kurt Britnell. "The result isn't what we wanted obviously, but we're not going to give up. This is when everybody needs to pull together."

  Britnell said he wasn't surprised when South Lyon's coached elected to go for two.

  "Not really," he said. "You have two 0-2 teams and you're trying to make something happen. Their quarterback kept it and turned inside."

  The loss couldn't diminish the spectacular night of junior running back Marcus Houston, who rushed for 127 yards on 21 carries. He also scored a pair of touchdowns, including a 51-yarder with two minutes left in the third quarter that brought the Rocks to within 17-14.

  Evian Pardo snared a couple of passes for 74 yards, but his biggest impact came on special teams with just a few ticks left in regulation. Pardo burst up the middle to block a potential 21-yard, game-winning Lions field goal attempt to give the Rocks a chance in overtime.

  Pardo scored the Rocks' first touchdown of the night, blazing into the end zone from 70 yards out after hauling in a Drew Thompson pass.

  After trailing 10-7 at the half, Salem's deficit grew to 17-7 early in the third quarter before Houston's electrifying long-distance run cut the gap to 17-14.

  Ethan Walsh split the uprights on a 38-yard field goal mid-way through the fourth quarter, but South Lyon answered minutes later to regain a 24-17 lead.

  The Rocks took advantage of a mishandled South Lyon punt in the game's final minute to forge the tie. Thompson hit Walsh with a 28-yard aerial with 20 seconds left to draw the Rocks even.

  Following a short Salem kick-off and two successful passes, the Lions were in prime position to win in regulation before Pardo's heroics.

  "We killed ourselves in the first half," Britnell said. "We had six dropped passes.

  "I'm sure it was an exciting game to watch for the fans, but not for us."

  Salem finished with 295 total yards on offense.

  Thompson was 8 for 28 for 147 yards and two TD's. Auquier caught three passes for 45 yards.

  Ed Wright can be reached at (734) 453-1980 or info@plymouthcantonsports.com.