Tigers rout Lions to end regular season

Ask Jacksboro freshman football players who had spent most of their season on JV about their first varsity experience and you get the same response.

“It was amazing,” Wyatt Gavit said.

“It was fun,” Luis Balderama, who saw time the week before, noted.

Amazing and fun are two ways to describe the whole experience for the Tigers Thursday, Nov. 3, the squad rolling up 592 yards offensively and holding Dublin to 195 in a 63-0 win at Cervetto Field.

Jacksboro heads into the postseason as the No.2-seed out of District 5-3A Division II with a 4-1 record (7-3 overall). Dublin, last year’s district champs, finishes at 0-5 and 2-8.

The visitors scored early and often, finding the end zone on their first five drives. Quarterback Lando Belcher found both Cannon Valenzuela and Kaleem Howard twice each with TD tosses in the first half with a Luke Sams fouryard scoring run sandwiched in there as the Purple got out to a 35-0 lead at the break.

Belcher was 12-15 passing in the first two quarters for 226 yards. Things only got better in the second half with touchdown passes to Tyler Mitchell and Valenzuela capping an 18-22 for 317 yards and six touchdown outing. That was over the game’s first three quarters.

With Jacksboro holding a 56-0 lead, reserves were put in to finish the job and preserve the shutout. The Tigers got things on a Sams fumble recovery which gave Jacksboro the ball at its own 12. Balderama, who led the team in rushing with an 80yard, 13 carry effort, opened the drive with a 22-yard run. On third and long from his 30, Gavit lofted a 37-yard strike to Juan Marin to keep the drive alive.

After a Balderama 28-yard scoring run was called back on penalty, Gavit went aerial again, finding Nathan Rockey with a 17-yard scoring pass. Randall Bustos, who was a perfect 9-9 on extra point tries, finished the scoring with 6:04 to go.

The Tiger defense finished the job well, getting a combo sack from Garrett Hultman and Colt Hamilton on the ensuing drive with Marin picking off a pass on the next play.

Jacksboro will face former district foe Wichita Falls City View, the No.3-seed out of 6-3A Friday at 7 p.m. in Mineral Wells.