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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2017
THE JACKSON HERALD
PAGE 5B
Football summaries
FINDING THE END ZONE
Jackson County quarterback Grey Akins tosses the ball aside after scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown in the Panthers’ 28-21
win over Franklin County. Photo by Ben Munro
Jackson Co. 28, Franklin Co. 21
Panthers rally for victory
despite injury to Venable
Monroe Area 55,
East Jackson 0
East Jackson
holding out
hope despite
lopsided loss
By Chris Hamby
Correspondent
Don’t tell East Jackson
head football coach that
the 55-0 loss to Monroe
is the end of the season.
“The right two wins
will put us in the playoffs
and as odd as that sounds
to some that statement
is correct,” coach Scott
Wilkins said.
Monroe Area is the sev
enth-ranked team in the
state and they are tall,
physical and fast. With
all that being said, East
Jackson held its own in
the first half only being
down 21- 0 at halftime.
Monroe Area got on the
board in the first quarter
with 7:41 to play when
Jakia Thompson broke
free on a 20-yard touch
down run and a 7-0 lead.
Each team traded their
next three possessions
before Monroe Area
struck again with one sec
ond left in the first quarter
with a touchdown pass
from Chandler Byron to
put Monroe up 14-0.
It took Monroe Area 12
seconds to hit pay dirt
at the start of the sec
ond quarter with 10:49
to play when Thompson
found Jayden Brandon
for a 69-yard touchdown
pass to go up 21-0.
East Jackson’s best
drive of the night came
halfway through the sec
ond quarter with a 13-play
6:13 drive that ended in a
turnover on downs. The
drive was highlighted
with a 14-yard pass from
Greg Huggs to Luke Had
den that put the ball on
Monroe Area’s 20 yard
line before the drive came
to a halt.
In the second half, it
was all Monroe Area and
it did all of its damage in
the third quarter. It took
Monroe Area two min
utes to find the end zone
when Bryon found Bran
don on a 30-yard touch
down pass to put Monroe
Area up 28- 0.
With 6:51 to play in
the third quarter, Monroe
Area found the end zone
again as Byron scored
from 10 yards out for
a 35-0 lead. The drive
went 46 yards on three
plays, highlighted by a
34- yard pass from Byron
to Emmanuel Okwudili.
On the ensuing pos
session Monroe forced a
fumble and 18 seconds
later found the end zone
again this time Byron
went 30 yards for a 42-0
score.
East Jackson went
three-and-out on its
next possession and it
took Monroe Area 1:17
to find the end zone as
Byron threw for a 44-yard
touchdown pass and a
49-0 lead all in the third
quarter.
The final score of the
night came with 10:34 in
the 4th quarter as Corbin
Spratlin scampered in
from 36 yards out. The
PAT was no good putting
Monroe up 55-0 with a
running clock the rest of
the way.
“We are a banged up
football team right now,”
Wilkins said. “Our goal
as coaches is to get in
the film room and get our
kids ready for a very good
Franklin County team
next week while trying
to get our guys healthy.
Then we have to find us
two region wins.”
By Ben Munro
Noah Venable has so often
been part of the winning for
mula for Jackson County, but
the Panthers were able to close
out a win without him.
After the star running back
left the game in the second
quarter with an ankle injury,
Skilenthius Hilbert and Grey
Akins ran for fourth-quar
ter touchdowns as the Pan
thers (4-3, 1-1) rallied to beat
Franklin County 28-21 on Fri
day to keep their state playoff
hopes alive.
“That's a test and how do
you respond?” Worley said of
losing Venable, “And I think
there for a little bit we didn't
know what to do, and we
finally did and realized it’s a
team effort. It’s not just one.
Noah does make a huge dif
ference, obviously, and he led
regardless of not being on the
field. But I think we’re going
to come through that better
with that happening.”
Worley added that he thinks
Venable "will be fine” as far as
his injury.
“I think it just needs some
ice and some rest,” he said.
Venable, who has amassed
By Charles Phelps
If anyone thought a hang
over could occur after last
week’s loss to Prince Ave
nue, it’s safe to say the Com
merce Tigers made sure they
showed there wasn't one in
Lilbum Friday night.
The Tigers (5-1, 4-1
Region 8-A) plowed through
Providence Christian Acad
emy (1-5, 1-4) 55-0. The
Tigers’ offense was led by
quarterback Nate Ray’s 141
passing yards and one touch
down. He also rushed for 21
yards. Dajuan Wood caught
two passes for 49 yards and
one touchdown. He also
rushed three times for 18
yards and one score.
Nick Patrick rushed three
times for 55 yards and one
touchdown. Tyelon Brock
scored two rushing touch
downs. Kyre Ware caught
two passes for 53 yards.
“I thought our kids have
responded great since last
week,” head coach Michael
Brown said. “We had a great
week of practice.
“We challenged them to
come out tonight and be busi
ness-like in their approach.
This is an improved Provi-
over 1,200 rushing this sea
son, appeared to injure his
right ankle on an 11-yard run
midway through the second
quarter with the game tied
14-14. The senior was work
ing on a monster night to that
point with 149 yards in the
game but did not return in
the first half. Venable attempt
ed to play in the second half
but left the game again after
only carrying the ball twice.
The second carry resulted in
a 27-yard fumble return for a
Franklin County touchdown,
putting the Lions ahead 21-14
just 1:10 in to the third quarter.
Venable did not return the rest
of the game.
The momentum swung
back in Jackson County’s
favor in the fourth quarter,
though.
A botched punt attempt
deep in Franklin County ter
ritory gave Jackson County
the ball at the Lion 6-yard
line. Hilbert — a sophomore,
fourth-string tailback —
scored one play later.
"Football is such a game
of momentum,” Worley said.
"And they got a lot of that
momentum, but when it shifts,
dence team. They’re getting
better. They’re definitely
going in the right direction.
We wanted our guys to
respect who we were play
ing and to come out and be
a mature football team and
take care of business. And
we felt like they did that.”
Twelve different Tigers
had at least one rushing
attempt Friday night. The
it’s hard to get it back. They
had it for a while, and when
it shifted to us after the punt,
it was tough for them to take
it back. It's amazing how
momentum plays a key role
in games.”
A missed PAT kept Frank
lin County ahead 21-20.
A quick three-and-out from
the Lion offense, followed by
a short punt, gave Jackson
County the ball on the Frank
lin County 42.
Akins scored seven plays
later, running from 11 yards
out for a touchdown. Hilbert
then converted a two-point
conversion to give the Pan
thers a 28-21 lead with 4:33
left. Akins and Chad Pittman
came up with the key play
on the drive connecting for a
14-yard pass on fourth down
to keep the possession alive.
Akins’ touchdown run to
end the drive required a lit
tle adlibbing from the senior
quarterback.
“We had our little option
play,” he said. “I thought I was
going to be able to pitch it to
Chad Pittman out to the left,
but everything got crumpled
up. I just saw a wide-open
Tigers totaled 527 yards on
offense; 386 yards came via
the ground game. For the
entire second half, the Tigers’
junior varsity offense played
and scored two touchdowns.
“Had some guys make
some really good runs,”
Brown said of the second
group. “Shyne Colbert made
a couple of really nice runs.
“Tyelon Brock made some
hole back to the back side and
everything just kind of fell
into place.”
Akins praised the play of
the offensive line in the win,
pointing to work of Hunter
Baggett, Wesley Harper and
Noah Hayes and Jonathan
Fountain in the trenches.
“They really glued this
whole team together,” he said.
Jackson County’s defense
played a big role in the sec
ond half, too.
After being victimized
by two big plays in the first
half — a 54-yard touchdown
run from Cale Swift and a
64-yard touchdown jaunt
from Myrian Craft — the
Panther defense forced a
turnover on downs and three
punts in the second half. Jack-
son County did not allow an
offensive touchdown after
halftime.
“They really settled in and
started playing fast,” Worley
said. “We’ve been saying,
‘cut the break lines and roll’
and they did that. They finally
just let loose and played a
little bit and had fun.”
The teams experienced a
back-and-forth first half.
nice runs. We were able to
get everybody in the game
and get them some playing
time and that’s always good.”
The defense couldn't be
lost either, giving up only
four first downs, recording
four sacks and a blocked
Storm punt by Tucker Flint
resulted in a touchdown.
On the game’s opening
drive, the Tigers needed only
Venable put the Panthers
on the board first with a
3-yard touchdown run before
Swift tied the game with
his 54-yard run. Akins then
threw a 15-yard touchdown
pass to Collin Lewis later
in the first quarter, putting
Jackson County back ahead
14-7, before Craft ripped off
his 64-yard run in the sec
ond quarter, tying the game
14-14.
The score remained tied
after halftime until Franklin
County scored off the fumble
early in the third quarter.
“We come out the second
half and give up a fumble
recovering for a touchdown,”
Worley said. “They could
have easily quit. They kept
fighting. We actually had a
lot of kids that haven’t played
a ton this year that got to go
into the game and see what
they can do.”
Akins said the team can
build off winning a game like
this.
“I think this is a turning
point right now,” he said. “I
honestly do. I think this is
where the sun is going to be
rising on Jackson County.”
five plays to go 73 yards. The
drive ended with a Wood
1-yard run into the end zone.
After a fumble on their
second drive, the Tigers
rebounded by going 75 yards
in six plays, including over
coming a 15-yard penalty.
The drive was capped when
Ray hit Wood on a 26-yard
touchdown strike.
On the next drive. Caleb
Mason went airborne from
two yards away to bump the
lead to 21-0 as the first quar
ter closed.
Patrick found the end
zone on a 26-yard ran on
the Tigers’ next possession
to move the lead to 28-0.
On the ensuing Storm pos
session, Flint blocked and
recovered the Storm punt to
set the score at 35-0. Brock’s
first touchdown from a yard
away bumped the score to
42-0. The score remained the
same at halftime.
Brock’s final touchdown
came with 6:57 left in the
third quarter. His 3-yard ran
gave the Tigers a 48-0 lead.
Colbert scored the Tigers’
final touchdown on a 50-yard
run with 1:02 left in the third
quarter.
Commerce 55, Providence Christian Academy 0
Tigers roll past Storm in region road win
THE STIFF ARM
Commerce’s Kyre Ware breaks a tackle on Friday in the Tigers’ 55-0 domi
nation of Providence Christian Academy. Photo by Charles Phelps