Tigers move on to area

BOWIE – Kickers are the first to come out and warm up, never knowing if they’ll be needed.

Both Gio Salazar and Dario Piedra have split the kicking duties the last few games the pair hitting field goals from beyond 40 yards before Friday’s game with Henrietta. Salazar, a junior, was able to display his talents with a 27-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter with the Jacksboro defense making it stick in a 31-28 bi-district win at Jackrabbit Stadium.

Jacksboro (7-4) will now face Buffalo (11-0), a 69-21 winner over Hamilton Friday evening. That area round contest is scheduled for this Friday at 5 p.m. in Whitney.

Tied at 28, Ke’Ondrae Sadler’s interception in the end zone began to turn a wild game. The Tigers went 80 yards in 19 plays to eat up nearly nine minutes of clock time. Brayden Pewitt runs balanced with completions to Sadler and freshman Kyle Thompson moved the ball downfield. 

Salazar ended the drive with a 27-yard field goal with 5:54 to go. Henrietta moved the ball on their next drive to set up 4th and goal at the Tiger 32. Senior Mason Marchman, a four-year varsity starter, got the call and the Tiger defense stuffed him to get the ball back with about 2:30 left.

First down runs by Caleb Helm and Sadler would seal the deal for Jacksboro, a partisan crowd barely able to hold its emotion.

Jacksboro took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards downfield in 10 plays. Senior Ethan Fudge bounced right and found paydirt from six yards out. Piedra’s extra point with true barely four minutes in.

Henrietta came right back, its passing attack doing the bulk of the damage, with Jonah Lyde and Brandon Lee combining on a 25-yard scoring strike less than three minutes later. The trading of punches continued with Jacksboro culminating a 49-yard drive with Landon Davenport going six yards around the left side for a 14-7 lead in the final minute of the first.

The passing attack that Henrietta would use throughout the game for 234 yards struck again as Lyde and Lee hooked up on a 16-yard scoring pass to knot the game at 14. Jacksboro showed it can throw the ball too, doing so on a fourth-and-12 from the Bearcat 31.

Quarterback Ethan Sanchez found a wide open Davenport for the sophomore’s second score of the half, giving the Tigers a 21-14 lead. 

A 60-yard Kaleb Liggett scoring run where he split four defenders to paydirt tied the game. Sanchez was later picked off and Henrietta turned that into a score with Lyde and Marchman combining on a 25-yard strike to give the ‘Cats a 28-21 lead at halftime.

Jacksboro forced a turnover on downs on Henrietta’s first series of the second half. The Tigers took advantage, continuing to use a number of running backs to punish Henrietta. Sophomore Caleb Helm set the stage with some good runs for classmate Randall Hamilton to finish the job from three yards out to end a 46-yard drive and tie the game at 28.