Playing on their new turf field for the first time Friday night, the Blytheville Chickasaws lost a heartbreaker to Nettleton, 21-14, in 5A-East Conference action. Officials ruled that Chickasaw running back Jalen Gunby fumbled just before reaching the goal line with 39 seconds to play, and Nettleton recovered, ending Blytheville’s comeback bid. The Chickasaws (1-4, 0-2) battled back from a 15-point hole with 6:40 to play. A 49-yard Nettleton punt pinned the Chicks at their own 3 yard line and that poor field position proved to be costly. Three plays later, Nettleton (5-0, 2-0) caused a strip sack on Blytheville quarterback Jahiem Carter in the end zone and pounced on it for the touchdown. The PAT gave the Raiders a 21-6 lead midway through the final period and quieted the big Chickasaw crowd. But Carter bounced back on the ensuing drive. On the third play, Carter fired a 67-yard strike to Corey Weatherspoon, who scampered into the end zone with 6:05 to play. Then, Carter fired to Gunby on the two-point conversion to pull Blytheville within 21-14 and fire up the faithful. Initially it appeared Blytheville recovered a fumble on the kickoff, but the returner was ruled down. The Chickasaw defense forced a three-and-out to give the offense one more shot with 4:06 to play. Starting at their own 42, the Chicks converted two key third downs on 12- and 13-yard Carter to Weatherspoon connections. The second conversion set up first-and-goal at the 5 with 1:06 showing. On the next play, Gunby sliced his way to the 1, giving Blytheville a shot at erasing the lead. However, the fumble on the next play sealed the game for the Raiders. Nettleton got on the scoreboard first on a 41-yard run by Nathan Young at the 9:02 mark of the first quarter. The PAT made it 7-0. Blytheville drove to the Raider 17 on the ensuing series before turning it over on downs. The Chicks would get on the board on their next possession, however. On fourth and goal, Tyrone Pope punched it in from a yard out on the first play of the second quarter. The PAT was no good, keeping it 7-6. Nettleton answered with a four-yard Deondre Henry to Will Joyner connection at the 11:09 mark of the second period to take a 14-6 lead. The score would stay unchanged going into halftime. On the opening drive of the second half, Nettleton drove to the Blytheville 29, but the Chickasaw defense stood tall, eventually forcing a punt. Blytheville then drove to the Nettleton 34 before turning it over on downs. The Chicks would later turn it over on downs at the Raider 16 early in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing series, Nettleton got the key punt that pinned the Chicks deep and led to what would be the game-winner. Blytheville finished the night with 411 total yards, including 234 on 51 rushes. Gunby led all rushers with 24 carries for 87 yards, while Carter was 8 of 16 passing for 177 yards and the touchdown. The Chickasaw defense limited Nettleton to 219 total yards. The Raiders finished with 130 yards on 35 rushes, led by Detavion Turner and Young, who had 73 and 72 yards, respectively. The Chicks will host Greene County Tech on homecoming, Friday night. Three of their final five games will be at the new-look Haley Field, after the Chicks played their first four on the road. Haley Field has hosted football games since 1916 and was named after former Blytheville superintendent Harvey H. Haley, who served in that role from 1916-1928. The stadium was built with WPA money in 1938. But Friday night was the first time Blytheville athletes played a home game on artificial turf. The Chicks will hope for better results against rival GCT on their new field Friday night.