Sweet homecoming
By Staff
Hartselle knocks off J.O. Johnson 26-15; in solid position for No. 2 in region
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle’s Tigers celebrated homecoming by scoring 14 unanswered points in the third quarter and knocking out the J.O. Johnson Jaguars, 26-15, in a race for second place in Class 5A, Region 8 competition at J. P. Cain Stadium Friday night.
The win was the Tigers’ fifth in a row after falling to top-ranked Russellville in the third game of the season. They’re now 7-1 overall and ranked second in their region with a 6-1 mark. Johnson dropped to 6-2 overall and 5-2 in regional competition. Both teams were ranked among the state’s top 10 teams in Class 5A — Hartselle seventh and Johnson 10th — going into the game.
Hartselle trailed 7-3 at halftime but grabbed the lead early in the second half and never looked back. They were ahead 17-7 after three periods and led 26-7 before Johnson scored a touchdown and two-point conversion late in the final quarter.
The Tigers got on the scoreboard first thanks to a 24-yard field goal by Ray Canafax with 11:01 left in the second quarter. His kick capped a 43-yard drive in five plays and was set up by a 35-yard Marquez Jones run.
On an earlier drive the Tigers reached Johnson’s 5-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.
The Jaguars answered by marching 64 yards in five plays and taking the lead on a 47-yard pass from David Isabelle to Jontavious President. Jimmy Nories booted the extra point to give his team a 7-0 lead with 9:18 left in the second quarter.
Johnson had first possession in the second half but it didn’t last long. On the first play from scrimmage, Quinn Dunlap picked off an Isabelle pass to put Hartselle in business at its own 37-yard line.
The Tigers responded by marching 63 yards in four plays and scoring on a 44-yard run by sophomore running back Marquez Jones. Canafax kicked the extra point to make the score 10-7 with 9:32 left in the third period. Quarterback Wes Chenault passed for a first down and ran for another to set up the scoring play.
The next time the Tigers had the ball they marched 70 yards in four plays. A 47-yard pass play with Chenault throwing to Tyler Young produced a touchdown with 6:21 left in the third quarter. Canafax booted the extra point to make the score 17-7.
The Tigers increased their lead to 20-7 on a 24-yard field goal by Canafax with 9:22 left in the fourth quarter. His kick capped a 26-yard drive in seven plays.
A fumble recovery by Jake Bradford on the ensuring kickoff set up the Tigers for their final score. Jones capped a 28-yard drive in five plays by scoring from 1 yard out with 7:23 left in the game. Chenault was tackled short of the goal line in an attempt to convert a two-point conversion and the score remained at 26-7.
Johnson put together a 78-yard drive in five plays to pick up its second touchdown of the game. Isabelle scored on a quarterback keeper from 4 yards out with 2:58 left. He also ran for a two-point conversion to make the score 26-15.
Jones paced Hartselle’s offensive attack with 158 yards rushing on 24 carries. He also scored two touchdowns.
Isabelle picked up 75 yards on 13 carries and Jimmy Vaughn had 74 yards on five carries for Johnson.
Hartselle is on the road at West Point this week to play its final region game of the season. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Friday.
