Wildcats win 71-41 shootout against Nashville

After Nashville scored on the opening drive, the Anna-Jonesboro Community High School football team erupted for 10 touchdowns on its way to a 71-41 win over the visiting Hornets at The Pit Friday, Sept. 15.

“I felt good going in the game offensively,” A-J coach Brett Detering said. “But  we didn’t get as many defensive stops as I would have liked.”

A-J fullback Jayce Turner led the way for A-J with seven touchdowns, including runs of 1, 4, 3, 8, 48  and 16 yards and an extra point run. He finished with 272 yards on 21 carries. 

“We kept running our option and they couldn’t stop him,” Detering said. “He kept making big plays. We took him out in the fourth quarter.”

Besides putting on an offensive display, Turner made several hard-hitting tackles as a linebacker on defense.

This was the most points scored by a Detering team since he has been coaching at A-J. His previous highest scoring contest was 63 points.

Nashville quarterback Cameron Parker capped the opening 5-play drive with a 35-yard TD pass to Tanner Bergmann. Collin Laws’ extra point kick put the Hornets on top 7-0 with 10:30 remaining in the quarter.

Then the Wildcats caught fire. Arieh Hart’s 35-yard run led the attack in their opening 4-play drive that Turner concluded with a 4-yard TD run.

Jaryt Tripp’s extra point kick knotted the game at 7-7 with 8:52 remaining in the opening quarter.

Following a Hornet punt,  A-J was on the move again. On that punt return, the Wildcats’ explosive runner Hart injured an ankle and didn’t play the remainder of the game. Detering said his status was uncertain for this Friday’s game.

After three plays, Turner scored again on an 8-yard run. Tripp’s kick put A-J on top 14-7 with 6:20 left in the opening quarter.

After another Nashville punt, Turner then capped a 6-play drive with a 3-yard TD run.

Tripp’s kick gave the Wildcats a 21-7 advantage with 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

After a long run, Nashville running back Jullian Metcalf was halted at the 2-yard line by a shoestring tackle by Bryce Osman. However, he then scored on the next play. Law’s kick pulled the Hornets to 21-14 with 29 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Reid Morrison fumbled the ensuing kick off and Luke McMahan recovered for A-J.

Two plays later, quarterback Osman scored on a 70-yard run.

Tripp’s kick put A-J on top 28-14 with 11:42 remaining in the first half.

The Hornets then gambled and made a first down on a fourth down and short yardage play.

However, the drive stalled on incomplete passes and A-J took over.

The Wildcats were then forced to punt on the next drive for the only time in the game.

Following another Hornet punt, the Wildcats were on the move again.

Turner scored again on a 16-yard run to cap a 7-play drive. An offsides penalty on the Hornets on the extra point moved A-J closer to the goal line. Turner then ran in for the two-point conversion. A-J led 36-14 with 2:36 remaining in the opening half.

With 9 seconds left in the first half, Parker connected with Bergmann on a 5-yard pass after a lengthy 11-play drive.

Law’s extra point kick pulled the Hornets to 36-21.

The Wildcats were again on the move on their opening drive in the second half.

Turner broke through for a 48-yard TD run to cap a 3-play drive. Tripp’s kick boosted A-J to 43-21 with 10:39 remaining in the third quarter.

Following another Hornet punt, A-J was on the move again. Turner scored on a 15-yard run at the end of a three play drive.

Tripp’s kick missed and the Wildcats still led 49-21 with 8:35 remaining in the third quarter.

After halting the Hornets’ next drive at midfield, A-J took over and Morrison scored on a 34-yard run to cap a 4-play drive.

Tripp’s kick boosted A-J to a 56-21 advantage with 3:52 remaining in the third quarter.

Metcalf then scored on a 4-yard run to cap a 6-play drive. Law’s kick pulled Nashville to 56-28 with 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The Wildcats were on the move again.

Turner, who was taken out previously, came in and scored on a 2-yard run after a 4-play drive. Tripp’s kick boosted A-J to 63-28 with 10:08 remaining in the game.

Nashville came right back and after two plays, Jackson Aulds broke loose for a 64-yard TD run. The kick missed and Nashville pulled to 63-34 with 9:47 remaining.

After a four-play drive, fueled around a long run by Damian Chrisp, he then scored on 3-yard run. Reserve quarterback Conner Jerolds ran in the conversion points and A-J closed out its scoring 71-34 with 8:12 remaining in the game.

The Hornets then had one of their longest drives of the game, starting at their own 20-yard line following the kickoff. They marched down field and scored on a 7-yard TD run by Aulds.

Laws kick closed out the scoring with 3:22 remaining in the game.

Quarterback Jerolds took a knee a couple of  times to run out the clock.

The Wildcats rushed for 602 yards.

Osman added 123 yards rushing  on 11 carries. Chrisp had 120 yards on 4 carries. Morrison had 39 yards on 2 carries. Osman was 0 for 2 passing.

The Hornets rushed for 334 yards and quarterback Parker was 16 of 31 passing for 186 yards with no interceptions.

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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