Tigers' season ends in regional semis

FRISCO – A tough way to end a tremendous season.

Jacksboro and New Diana locked into a battle royale Thursday evening in the Region II-3A regional semifinals. In a game where every point would end up counting, New Diana’s Andy Prazak’s extra point with 12 seconds left would prove the game-winner in a 49-48 Eagle win at the Ford Center.

Jacksboro sees its season end at 11-2, both losses coming deep into the contest after the Tigers held leads in the final stanza while the Eagles move on to the regional finals at 10-3. An obviously distraught Tiger Coach Brannon Rodgers said he was proud of his kids’ effort.

“We were competitive tonight,” Rodgers said. “ To lose 49-48 to a team like that we left our heart and soul on the field. I was proud of the effort.”

The first-year mentor had to be proud of the way his players battled back from adversity and clawed back when down 28-24 in the final minutes of the first half. Ty Kennedy’s 15-yard reception from Payton Laake, which was tipped right into the senior receiver’s hands and a Hunter Hackley one-yard with Hunter Jackson’s conversion run tying the game in the final minute of the half.

“The kids battled adversity,” Rodgers offered. “I know that sounds cliche but it can be hard for teenagers to do against an extremely dangerous team.”

Behind quarterback Jackson Sampson, New Diana scored on its first four possessions, as Sampson had 184 yards passing in the first quarter en route to 446 aerial yards. Scoring runs by Jackson and Caleb Keith would keep things close before the Tigers got back in the game right before the half.

After an interception of Laake, New Diana broke the tie with a 35-yard Sampson pass to T.J. Rogers, his second of the contest. Jacksboro came right back and used Kennedy on a five-yard reverse for the score, capping a 70-yard series.

Jacksboro’s defense forced a turnover on downs as Alexis Sanchez came through with a sack on fourth down. The Tigers responded quickly with Keith coming through with a 54-yard run around the left side to give Jacksboro its first lead at 42-35 with 3:06 left in the third.

Jacksboro got another turnover on downs on the ensuing Eagle series, forcing three straight incomplete passes at the Jacksboro 15. The Tigers were forced to punt and New Diana went right to work tying the game with a three-play, 71-yard series, ending with a 43-yard strike to Cody Payton with 7:34 to go.

Jacksboro was forced to punt again but a Clay Botello sack on fourth down gave the Tigers the ball back with 5:08 left. A face mask penalty, one of four on the night for the Eagles moved the ball into Eagle territory. Keith finished the seven-play, 59-yard drive with a one-yard run. Keith had 103 yards on the night.

The extra point try was off the mark with 1:57 left. On the ensuing series, the Tigers were slapped with a face mask penalty which moved the ball to the Tiger 23 with under a minute to go. A Kennedy sack on second down forced a third and long.

Completions on the next two plays set up a first-and-goal at the 10 where a Rogers reception with 12 ticks to go tied the game at 48 with 12 ticks left, setting the stage for Prasak.

Jacksboro tried to come back but a stop just before midfield as time ran out ended the Tigers’ season.