Field goal lifted JC to homecoming win

Twenty-five years ago this week, it was the kicker’s right foot that saved the Jay County High School football team after the Patriots had been shooting themselves in the foot for much of the game.

A 24-yard field goal by Niho Alibegovic, a foreign exchange student from Boznia Herzogovina, with just 43 seconds left on the clock lifted JCHS to a 23-21 homecoming victory over Madison Heights on Oct. 1, 1993.

The Patriots had earlier committed a 15-yard penalty to help Madison Heights build its lead and were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct to erase what could have been the game-tying touchdown.

Jay County chewed up nearly six minutes on what turned out to be the game-winning drive. Quarterback A.J. Selvey connected with Matt Cochran on passes of 16 and 12 yards, and running back Lee Reitz had a 14-yard run. A 5-yard run by fullback Chuck Aker set to stage for Alibegovic, who had a field-goal attempt blocked during the third quarter.

Madison Heights called three consecutive timeouts to try to ice Alibegovic, but he was unfazed.

“I never thought about missing it,” he said. “I just thought about making it. I thought about (a game-winning kick) a lot of times, but I never thought I’d do it. It’s important to me, but it’s more important for the seniors. I didn’t win the game, I just kicked the ball. They had to get the ball down there first.”