The “monsoon,” as Northeast Jones quarterback Mason Smith calls it, came pouring down after he tore loose downfield 65 yards to the end zone. The rain that started falling minutes before made the elusive runner on a QB draw even harder to tackle - jersey slick from the pouring precipitation.
Juking and jiving off the right edge while breaking tackles, Smith found a hole near midfield a turned on the burners. His 65-yard run that looked more like 75, counting his run to the right edge then cutting toward the middle of the field and to the left sideline, gave the Tigers a 14-0 lead after an extra point.
"It was a great time to score," said Smith after the game. "I have to give credit to the offensive line. They created the hole for me to go through. I saw the two linebackers go to the running back, so I took the ball to the right and up the field."
Continued defense in the second half, Northeast Jones shut out Region 5-4A foe Florence 16-0 Friday night in “The Jungle.” The win puts the Tigers at .500 on the season (4-4), and unbeaten in region play at 2-0.
Due to the conditions, and not being able to score many points offensively, Northeast Jones head coach Keith Braddock was very pleased in how his defense stood their ground on a low-scoring night.
"Florence has some good players on offense," said NEJ head coach Keith Braddock. "Against every team, they've hit some home-run type runs. So I was a little nervous. I appreciate our team's toughness in finding a way on defense. On offense, we ran down the clock and outlasted Florence."
On a night where fumbles were understandable, Northeast Jones never lost one.
“I’m really proud of that,” Braddock said. “We talked about it often. In those terrible, terrible conditions…we had too protected the ball. And we did. That was a big deal in the game.”
Northeast Jones caught an early break as Florence drove the length of the field on its second possession. Lurking beyond the goal line was senior defensive back Jaylon Hudson, who robbed a would-be Eagles' touchdown pass to keep things scoreless.
"It's the second week in a row that we've picked one in the end zone," said Braddock. "We have to find a way to get off the field on third down. We let them have a few big third-down plays, and they threw the ball to their best player and made plays, so you have to get them credit. But that pick was a big play for us."
The big play by Hudson deflated Florence offensively.
Both Northeast Jones' touchdowns came in the second quarter. Starting inside Eagles territory, the Tigers marched 46 yards to the end zone, capped by a 1-yard TD run by senior running back Zymarrian Ducksworth. On the following possession is when Smith raced 65 yards downfield in the pouring rain to put the Tigers up 14-0.
Florence gifted Northeast Jones a safety in the final minute on an international grounding call near the goal line.
Quote of the Night:
"We know where we need to be. This is where we envisioned ourselves going into the heart of region play. If we can continue to get a little better each week, we'll have a chance to keep doing this." - Tigers head coach Keith Braddock.
What’s Next:
Northeast Jones travels to Quitman next Friday night. The Panthers are also 2-0 in Region 5-4A. The winner has a good shot at claiming the region title. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
