Senior middie Josh Francis finished with a game-high four points on two goals and two assists to lead No. 1 Highland Park to a 6-4 victory over Austin in a Texas High School Lacrosse League Division I game Friday night.

Junior middie Patrick Campbell added a goal and an assist, and he scored the go-ahead goal in the fourth quarter that put the Fighting Scots ahead to stay in what turned out to be another dogfight against Austin for a top North District team.

Last week, Austin fell to No. 3 St. Mark’s by an identical 6-4 score, and in both games the Maroons were even with their highly-ranked opponents in the fourth quarter.

Senior attackman Will Boeing, junior attackman Campbell Sode and junior middie Carson Fronterhouse all scored single goals for Highland Park (2-1), which barely bounced back from Wednesday’s loss to St. Mark’s.

In defeat, senior attackman Darren Turner scored twice for Austin, which fell to 2-2.

“I thought Austin did a great job all night long of frustrating our offense,” Highland Park head coach Derek Thomson said. “They’re an extremely athletic team. Down the stretch, we made enough plays to squeak out a win.”

Highland Park led 2-1 at the end of the third quarter, and the game was tied, 4-4 in the fourth when Campbell scored what proved to be the game-winning goal during an extra-man advantage on what Austin head coach Andy Garrigan described as, “a ridiculously sick shot.” Campbell’s goal put Highland Park ahead 5-4 with 6:53 to play in regulation.

Sode later added an insurance goal with 2:40 to play to give Highland Park its final margin of victory.

“We made a couple mistakes,” Garrigan said. “There were a couple quick whistles we weren’t ready for, we got caught in a change and that was it.”