Tigers beat Nocona, 38-14

Luke Dixon is known for his baseball prowess, the shortstop receiving several accolades during the last baseball season.

So far this year, he has been coming around on the football field as well on both sides of the ball. Dixon had a solid start and finish Friday night, opening the scoring on the first play from scrimmage and coming through with a pair of second-half interceptions to help Jacksboro stay unbeaten for the campaign with a 38-14 win over visiting Nocona at Tiger Stadium.

The Tigers are a perfect 2-0 in District 5-3A Division II and 7-0 overall while Nocona drops to 0-2 and 5-2. Dixon said the squad is coming together and playing well as a team.

Dixon’s 82-yard run around the left side on a reverse got the hosts on the board just 21 seconds into the fray. The quick start would continue as Hunter Jackson stripped the ball at the Tiger 14 on the ensuing series and took its 86 yards the other way to paydirt. A conversion pass from Payton Laake to Tyler Harmonson made the score 14-0 less than two minutes in.

After a turnover on downs, Jacksboro had its first real series of the game and cashed in. A 66-yard, three-play drive ended with Hunter Hackley breaking tackles and going 59 yards for his first touchdown of the game with still less than five minutes gone.

The Tiger defense again bent but didn’t break with Laake coming through with an interception inside Tiger territory. Nocona got on the board late in the first when quarterback Jeremy James found Riley McCasland with a 26-yard scoring toss to cut the lead to 21-6.

After the offensive flurry of the first five minutes, Jacksboro went dormant in the second, save for Fernando Piedra’s 34-yard field goal to give the Tigers a 24-6 lead at the half.

James, who threw for 212 yards in the first half, helped cut the deficit on the opening drive of the third, marching 75 yards in nine plays, the last 20 coming on a scoring toss to Hunter Fenoglio. James added the conversion run to cut the lead to 24-14 barely three minutes into the third.

Ty Kennedy got the score back on the ensuing series, capping a 58-yard drive with a 39-yard jaunt around the left side to extend the lead to 31-14. After another turnover on downs, Hackley needed just two plays before going 40 yards to the end zone to cap a 120-yard rushing night for the senior.

The Tiger defense did the job from there, Jackson getting a fourth-down sack of James and Dixon coming through with his interceptions to snuff out the Indians’ comeback threat.

Jacksboro hits the road next Friday for Millsap while Nocona returns home to face City View.