QB Smith tosses three TDs; sophomore trio score three of four touchdowns in 28-26 victory over the Chiefs.
By Roger Scott
Southern Torch Guest Contributor
SYLVANIA, Ala. — Sylvania won a back-and-forth battle over North Jackson Friday night in a jamboree matchup between the 3A and 4A squads.
On its opening drive, the Chiefs chewed up more than five minutes on the clock before punching it in off right tackle with a two-yard score by sophomore Diego Holt to go up 6-0. The PAT was no good.
Senior running back Braiden Thomas opened Sylvania’s first drive with a 5-yard gain to the 35. The Rams missed on a third-down pass and were forced to punt.
Sylvania’s defense held the Chiefs to only three yards on its next possession. Junior Ashdon Cooley had a quarterback pressure on the drive and a tackle for loss by Aiden Parham forced a North Jackson punt.
Junior quarterback Jaxon Smith completed a 15-yard pass to Thomas for a first down. After the Chiefs stuffed a run, sophomore receiver Josh Scott broke free for a 42-yard pass from Smith for Sylvania’s first score at 1:50 in the first quarter. The PAT was good, making the score 7-6 in favor of the Rams.
North Jackson punted on its next drive to open the second quarter. Smith completed a 63-yard touchdown pass to Zack Anderson and freshman Connor Andrade nailed the PAT to put Sylvania up 14-6 with 10:54 left in the half.
After a two-yard gain to open its possession, the Chiefs turned a short pass caught by junior Johnathan Linderman into a 54-yard gain to the Sylvania 12.
Another short pass led to a scoring scamper by Holt to bring the visitors with two points at 14-12. Junior defensive back Jonah Gurley intercepted the Chiefs’ 2-point attempt.
After the kickoff, Thomas broke a 40-yard run up the right sideline with 8:45 left in the half, and sophomore receiver Roman McKeehan hauled in a 30-yard pass from Smith for a score at 8:20 in the 2nd quarter. Andrade’s PAT increased the Rams lead to 21-12.
North Jackson countered with runs of 35, 17 and 16 yards to the Sylvania 2-yard line and then pushed in for the score. The 2-point conversion was good to make the score 21-20 with 6:40 left in the half.
Neither team moved the ball well and traded punts on the next possessions.
Near the end of the half, Griffin Haygood snagged a 14-yard pass on a Smith scramble for a first down, but Andrade missed a field goal from 34 yards out with 1:00 left. The halftime score remained 21-20 in favor of the Rams.
Sylvania received the kick and opened the second half with a short gain on a Thomas run and a 10-yard dart from Smith to Scott. The Rams were forced to punt after a false start penalty and a couple of incompletions.
On the next possession, the Rams forced a fumble that defensive back Haygood recovered at the Chiefs 34-yard line with 7:50 left in the 3rd. On the next play, Parham went around right end for a 20-yard gain, but the Rams couldn’t capitalize as they fumbled on the drive.
North Jackson returned the favor with a fumble of its own to give the ball back to Sylvania.
Parham then scampered through a huge hole in the middle for a 20-yard touchdown. The PAT was good, giving the Rams the 28-20 lead.
After the kickoff, North Jackson junior quarterback Nick Jernigan scrambled for a 27-yard gain to the Rams’ 40.
A 19-yard loss on a bad snap backed up the Chiefs’ drive with 2:30 left in the 3rd quarter, but Jernigan was hit late on a pass attempt. The penalty yardage kept the drive alive, and North Jackson then converted the 3-and-10 on a pass to the right sideline for a first down.
Two short runs up the middle then led to a 16-yard touchdown pass for the Chiefs, but the two-point conversion failed, leaving the varsity score 28-26 in favor of Sylvania at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The JV squads played to a 0-0 draw in the 4th quarter to close out the game.
Smith finished with 205 yards passing. Thomas and Parham each rushed for more than 50 yards, while Anderson, McKeehan, and Scott all had a touchdown reception.
Sylvania and North Jackson are both off this week. The Rams open the 2022 regular season on Aug. 26 by hosting 3A, Region 4 Saks. North Jackson opens at home vs. Scottsboro.
