The Jones Longhorns (9-1) capped off an undefeated district run for a fifth straight district title with a 49-10 victory over the Red Devils of Prague. Jones will host the Perry Maroons in the first round of the 2A Playoffs next week.
The high-scoring Longhorns scored only 7 points in each of the first two quarters. The first score was a 15 yard run for Junior Running back Korbin Cox in the 1st Quarter followed by a 35 strike by Quarterback Carson May to Junior Wideout Elijah Reed.
However, the story of the first half has to be the effort of the Longhorn defense. The first Red Devil drive put Prague First and Goal inside the Longhorn 5 yard line. The Longhorn defense held firm, including a fourth-down stop to get the ball back. The goal line stand really set the tone for the defense for the rest of the game. “I was proud of them. Those are some good teaching points” Head Coach Dave Martin commented after the game.
The only other scoring in the first half came when the Longhorns were called for penalty in their own end-zone, resulting in a safety.
With a 14-2 lead heading in to the the locker room, Coach Martin urged the team to go out and play with consistency. “I told them they need to get a little grit in their teeth.”
The Longhorns responded in a big way, reeling off 28 third quarter points to take a 42-2 lead heading into the fourth. The first score came on the defensive side of the ball, when Senior Linebacker Justin Nelson recovered a Prague fumble in the endzone. The Horns got another quick score on a 60 yard pass from May to Reed. Cox added another 6 yard TD run and May found Junior Trey Dorrell for a 24 yard score to cap off the scoring in the 3rd quarter.
Elijah Reed was able to display his speed on a 67 yard run in the 4th quarter to cap off a 3 score performance for the Junior Receiver.
While the Longhorns mathematically had clinched the district last week, there was still a lot on the line. The victory represented the 35th straight district win for the Longhorns. The significance of this victory on senior night holds special meaning, as this senior class will finish their Longhorn Football careers undefeated in district play.
The Longhorns will be back at practice this week, preparing to host the 7-3 Perry Maroons in the first round of the 2A Playoffs.
