Demopolis upends Jackson on road

Jamarcus Ezell crosses the goal line against the Jackson Aggies.
Jamarcus Ezell crosses the goal line against the Jackson Aggies.

JACKSON — Logan McVay made the hit, Devontae May knocked the ball free, Marcus Wright recovered the fumble and Demopolis held on for a 28-21 victory over Jackson Thursday night.

Tim Bonner pressures Aggies QB Demarcus Williams.  The pressure resulted in an interception.
Tim Bonner pressures Aggies QB Demarcus Williams. The pressure resulted in an interception.

“I ran to the ball. Russ Logan made the stop and (Jackson quarterback Demarcus Williams) tried to dive,” May said of the game’s pivotal play, which occurred with just under 90 seconds remaining in the contest. “As soon as I saw him dive, I just dove for the ball and tried to knock it out of his hand.”

“I just see the ball came out,” Wright said. “The only thing that went through my mind was see the ball, get the ball. That’s what coach tells us. We’re just playing another play and making sure they don’t get the ball back. Coach (Matt Geohagan) tells us if they don’t score, we win and that’s exactly what happened.”

Jackson’s drive started at its own 1 after the Aggies forced a stop on fourth down and goal from the 1.

“If we’re on the three, we kick it, but I thought we were going to go up 14 right there and win this ball game,” Demopolis coach Tom Causey said. “I probably should have kicked it. We put it on our defense. Lord knows (Jackson) went 100 and we got a fumble there at the end.”

Jackson cut a 28-14 deficit to 28-21 with 1:36 to play in the third quarter when Michael Phillips punched the ball in from six yards out and Miller McHargue added the extra point.

Logan McVay returns an interception against the Jackson Aggies. The interception was the result of QB pressure by Tim Bonner.
Logan McVay returns an interception against the Jackson Aggies. The interception was the result of QB pressure by Tim Bonner.

The Phillips score was the only Jackson offensive touchdown of the night. The Aggie got their first score on a 21-yard fumble return by Joshua Carpenter to take a 6-0 lead. Tim Bonner blocked the ensuing extra point try.

Jackson’s second score came with 10:18 to play in the third quarter when Brian Rotch returned a fumble 67 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 21-14.

Rashad Lynch gave the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish when he scored on a 3-yard run with 4:55 to play in the opening quarter. With 2:35 left in the frame, Jamarcus Ezell scored on a 10-yard run to put Demopolis up 14-6.

Lynch scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter to up the advantage to 21-6.

“You dig yourself in too deep a hole sometimes and you can’t battle back,” Jackson coach Danny Powell said. “Too inept offensively in the first half, we couldn’t seem to slow them down either. We just got beat by a better football team tonight.”

“Our guys kept scrapping and fighting. The only thing going through my head was flashes of last year and Matthew Jordan running in the two-point conversion,” Causey said, referencing the 2013 contest that saw Jackson beat Demopolis 22-21 when former Aggie quarterback Jordan scored the game-winning run.

Rashad Lynch works hard for some of his yardage against the Jackson Aggies.
Rashad Lynch works hard for some of his yardage against the Jackson Aggies.

“It means a lot,” May, who had to watch the 2013 game from the sidelines while sitting out due to the AHSAA’s transfer rules. “I had to sit out a whole year and watch them win on our field. We came back down here…revenge.”

The defensive stop helped make Ezell’s scintillating first start stand up. The junior QB ran for 217 yards and two scores on 23 carries.

“I hope we come back next week ready to play Sumter Central,” Causey said. “That’s what we’ve got to get to. We’ve got to focus on the big picture, which is getting better every day.”

The Tiger defense also got two interceptions from Logan McVay and one from Matthew Beckum in the contest.

Demopolis is set to host Sumter next Friday night.

Jayjerrin Craig drags a couple of Jackson Aggies for a few yards.
Jayjerrin Craig drags a couple of Jackson Aggies for a few yards.