SHORELINE
A few more pieces fell into place for the quickly maturing Jackson football team during a 22-10 victory over Shorecrest in a Western Conference South Division clash Sept. 21 at Shoreline Stadium.
Six sophomores started on offense for the Timberwolves, including tailback Riley Carr, whose second-quarter touchdown runs of 6 and 25 yards put Jackson in front for good.
“We’re in a situation this year where a lot of young kids have been forced into playing varsity football really early,” Jackson coach Joel Vincent said. “Our guys have worked really hard and have improved every week. They’re young, but they’re coming along and I’m really proud of them.”
Sophomore quarterback Andy Gay connected with Taylor Cox for the game’s momentum-shifting play – a 67-yard score at the 10:45 mark of the second quarter. The junior running back weaved through traffic before cutting to the sideline and outrunning the Shorecrest secondary.
Shorecrest (1-3 league, 1-3 overall) was able to regain a 10-7 lead less than four minutes later with an eight-play scoring drive capped by quarterback Lars Swenson’s 5-yard TD sweep. But on Jackson’s next possession, the Scots were whistled for a costly pass interference penalty on fourth down, setting up Carr’s first score.
“We had two decent drives in the first half and that’s about all we could do,” Shorecrest coach Mike Wollan said. “We weren’t ready to play and the better team won the game tonight. We didn’t do a good job of protecting the football and our inability to make tackles on their third-and-long plays hurt us.”
J.R. Gray recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff for the Timberwolves and three plays later Carr was back in the end zone to give Jackson a 19-10 advantage with 52 seconds remaining in the half. Jacob White scooped up another Shorecrest fumble in the final 15 seconds.
“Our defense did a great job forcing turnovers and putting our offense in great spots,” Vincent said.
Jackson (1-2, 1-3) held the Scots to just 26 yards of offense and one first down in the second half. Alex Taylor added a 32-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter for the game’s final points. In the final 9:26, the Scots ran just one play – an interception snared by Mike Wishko.
“We obviously didn’t do a good job coaching-wise getting the players ready to go and we’ll have to figure that out in a hurry,” Wollan said.
Cox finished with 115 yards on 26 carries and two receptions for 86 yards and Carr added 84 yards on 13 rushes. Making his first varsity start, Gay was 6-for-12 passing for 153 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
“When you start 0-3 and you’re scratching your head because you’re working hard but you’re not seeing it on Fridays in terms of a win, it can be frustrating,” Vincent said. “I’m glad for my guys tonight. This is proof that if you stick with what you’re doing and if you believe in what you’re doing and you believe in each other, good things happen. Our guys found that out tonight and it really makes me look forward to the rest of the season.”
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