Advance in football tournament

Rick Patrick
ECB Publishing, Inc.

The Jefferson Somerset Tigers defeated the Wewahitchka High School Gators to advance to the Region Two Class 1A Semi-final game in their quest to win another state title. On Friday, Nov. 9, the Tigers defeated the Gators with a resounding 35-16 final score.
The game began with a Gator offensive drive at their own 35-yard line. The Gators were able to move the ball into Tiger territory before stalling at the Tigers' 35-yard line. The Gators punted and pinned the Tigers deep in their own end of the field at the two-yard line.
Then, on the Tigers' second offensive play from scrimmage, Tiger quarterback Javion Patrick hit receiver Da'shon Davis on a flat route and it was off to the races for Davis, who sprinted down the sideline 96 yards for the first Tiger touchdown of the evening. The point-after-touchdown (PAT) was good and the Tigers had a 7-0 lead with 5:10 remaining in the opening period. The Gators took the ball at the 47-yard line, but their drive stalled as the first quarter came to an end with the Tigers ahead, 7-0.
In the opening moments of the second period, the Tigers began their second offensive drive at their own 20-yard line. The Tigers put together a drive deep into the Gators' end of the field. The drive was capped off when quarterback Joshua Aiken punched the ball over the goal line from the one. The PAT was off the mark and the score was 13-0 with 8:52 remaining until intermission. On their next drive, the Gators turned the ball over with a fumble at the 42-yard line. The Tigers were unable to capitalize and went three-and-out.
On their next drive the Gators managed to move the ball to the Tigers' 16-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. The Tigers again struck quickly with an 85-yard touchdown pass from Aiken to the Tigers' speedster Jacquez Hughes. The Tigers scored a two-point conversion following the touchdown and the score was 21-0 with just under a minute remaining in the first half. The Gators attempted a hurry-up drive that stalled at the Tigers' 32-yard line as the first half drew to a close with the score 21-0 in favor of the Tigers.
The Tigers took the opening kickoff of the second half to their own 29-yard line. The drive went three-and-out and the Tigers were forced to punt. A bad snap sailed over the head of the punter and Hughes picked the ball up and began to race down the field with an electrifying run from coast to coast and into the opposite end-zone. However, a penalty flag brought the Tiger touchdown back and the Tigers were forced to try another punt from deep in their own end of the field. Instead of punting, the Tigers attempted a fake punt, which failed to gain the first down and the Gators had the ball at the Tigers' 18-yard line. The Gator took advantage of the great field position and moved the ball to the Tigers' four-yard line. The Gators punched the ball into the end-zone and were on the scoreboard.
The Gators made a successful two-point conversion and the score was 21-8, with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter. That score would not stand for long, because on the ensuing kickoff, Davis returned the kickoff to the Gator end-zone for another Tiger touchdown. The PAT was good and the score was 28-8, with just over five minutes remaining in the third period. The third period ended with the Gators moving the ball into Tigers' territory.
In the early moments of the final quarter, Armon Williams picked off a Gator pass and returned the ball to mid-field. The Tigers moved the ball deeper into the Gators' end of the field on a long run running back Cameron Morris. Then, Zhyki Price capped off the drive with a touchdown run of his own. The successful PAT made the score 35-8 with 10:14 remaining in the contest. The Gators were not quite ready to throw in the towel as they responded with a 69-yard touchdown drive that took nearly five minutes off the game clock. The Gators added a two-point conversion to make the score 35-16, with 5:43 remaining in the fourth quarter. Following a short kickoff, the Tigers had the ball at their own 40-yard line. The Tigers moved to the Gators' 15-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. The game ended with the Tigers ahead, 35-16.
Next up for the Tigers is a rematch with the Pirates of Sneads High School, in the Region Two Semi-final game on Friday, Nov. 16. The Tigers defeated the Pirates, 34-15, on Friday, Aug. 31, to give the Pirates their only defeat of the season. The Pirates defeated Franklin County High School, 55-28 to advance to the semi-final game. The Region Two Semi-final game will take place at Sneads High School, located at 8066 Old Spanish Tr., in Sneads. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.