Wildcats conquer Jay

A play here and a series there can turn a potentially tight game into a blowout.
A fumble on Jay County’s first possession Friday night led to the Franklin County Wildcats’ first score. And a missed opportunity on the Patriots’ first drive of the second half let the visitors build an insurmountable lead.
Franklin County converted on four touchdown drives of eight plays or longer and took control in key moments as it handed the JCHS football team a 42-7 defeat.
“If we come out in the second half and make it 21-14, it’s a whole different ball game,” said Boozier. “But it obviously didn’t happen.
“They were a lot quicker than we thought they would be,” he added. “Quickness is hard to determine on film. … We thought we were going to take advantage of some of their defensive alignments and they shut us down. They did a nice job.”
The Patriots (1-2) started on a positive note by forcing a three-and-out, but gave the ball back to FCHS with a fumble on their second place. The Wildcats only needed to travel yards for their first score, capping the short drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Austin Neeley.
Neeley added a 4-yard TD run to finish off a 10-play scoring drive early in the second quarter, and Jesse Laker made it a 21-0 game with a 2-yard TD run midway through the period.
Jay County finally found some offensive success with a hurry-up offense for a touchdown late in the first half, and it had the ball back to start the second. The Patriots, with an opportunity to pull within a touchdown, drove down to the Franklin County 23-yard line, where they face a fourth-and-4. They went for the first down, but Cade Price was stopped deep in the backfield as the Wildcats reclaimed possession.
Franklin County, which is 3-0 for the first time since 2006, promptly marched 70 yards in eight plays with Laker added another 2-yard scoring run.
“That was the whole key to the game,” said Franklin County coach Mark Williamson, whose team had lost 19 straight games coming into the season. “Had they scored, it would have really been a dogfight.
“(The Patriots) played hard. And they did some good things. They got us going there in the second quarter at the end …
“When adversity strikes and momentum goes the other way, it’s tough. But our kids responded.”
The Wildcats closed out the game with a pair of fourth-quarter TDs, including one on a 60-yard interception return by Ben Wewe.Jay County had by far its best offensive success when it went to the no-huddle offense after taking possession with 2:55 to go in the first half. Rushing to the line after a 2-yard run by Brock McFarland, Cade Price hit the Wildcat defense for a 25-yard gain.
Cody Slusher racked up 19 yards on the next play, and then Price gashed Franklin County for a 20-yard TD run. The three hurry-up plays garnered 64 yards, and accounted for more than a third of JCHS’s total offense.
“We thought we would be fresh,” said Boozier. “We can go out there and just yell (the plays) and it’s seamless in the no-huddle. … And the kids handled it well. I think we got (the Wildcats) on their heels and they couldn’t make an adjustment.”
Price picked up 83 rushing yards on 14 carries and also caught one pass for 17 yards. Slusher added 25 yards on five carries.
But Franklin County out-gained the Patriots by more than 100 yards of total offense, with Neeley picking up 93 yards on 13 rushing attempts. Jacob Scheib added 68 yards on the ground, and Laker ran 15 times for 60 yards.
“Defensively, our tackling took a step back tonight,” said Boozier. “We’ve got to get better. We were having guys in position, but we were just sliding off some tackles.”
Jay County suffered another loss Friday night in addition to the defeat on the scoreboard. In the fourth quarter, senior Tyler Claycomb broke both bones in his lower right leg while making a play on defense. He left the field in an ambulance and was taken to Bluffton Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Claycomb, whose season and career at JCHS are most likely over, was the team’s leading tackler through the first two games of the year with 18. He also had three sacks.[[In-content Ad]]