Jackets nip Knights in O.T.

Last Friday night’s Jeff Davis-Windsor Forest football game will go down as one of the most exciting in Yellow Jacket history.
The game was tied four times before the homestanding Yellow Jackets escaped with a 41-40 overtime victory.
Jeff Davis jumped out to a 13-0 lead only to see the Knights tie the game at 13-13 at intermission. After three quarters, the score was tied at 27-27 and it was 34-34 at the end of regulation play.
The Jackets went up 41-34 in overtime and when the Knights got the ball and also scored to make it 41-40, they elected to go for two points and the win. But freshman linebacker Tre’vyous Chandler rushed through to hurry the Knight quarterback’s throw and the throw missed the mark to preserve the victory.
Jacket kicker Rici Rubio was 6-for-6 in P.A.T. attempts while his counterpart was 5-for-6, which turned out to be the difference in the game.
The game got off to a rousing start for the Yellow Jackets as Emanuel Rumph took Windsor Forest’s opening kickoff at the Jacket seven and followed exceptional blocking to break into the open and race all the way to the WF 12 yard line, a return of 81 yards. Jashaun Kirby threw a key block at the Knight’s 35 yard line that enabled Rumph to pick up an extra 23 yards.
It took JD four plays to score from the 2-yd. line on a Kirby run up the middle. The Jackets tried for a 2-pt. conversion but failed to leave the score at 6-0.
Following the kickoff Windsor Forest was flagged for two 5-yd. walkoffs before they could run their first play from scrimmage. A quarterback sack by James Wood was sandwiched between a pair of incomplete passes and the Knights punted the ball to the JD 41.
From there, it took the Jackets nine plays to cover the 59 yards. Kirby started things with runs of 18 and 5 yards. Then Austin Wood scampered 10 yards. Two plays later, Kirby broke through for 11 yards to the 13. The drive faltered a bit but, on 3rd-and-5 from the eight, Britt Metts found James Wood in the end zone for an 8-yd. scoring pass. Rici Rubio came on to kick the extra point to make it 13-0.
Following the kickoff, Windsor Forest drove from their 34 to the Jeff Davis 26 before Rumph intercepted a tipped pass at the Jacket 11 to stop the march.
The Jackets drove the ball into WF territory but a fumble early in the second quarter gave the ball back to the Knights at their 47 to set up their first scoring drive. They went 53 yards in six plays and were helped along by 20 yards in penalties against the Jackets. The score came on an 8-yd. run. The extra point kicked miss right and the score was 13-6.
The Jackets started their next drive at their 35 and the first play was a 44-yd. romp by Metts on a keeper up the middle as he broke two tackles at the line of scrimmage, broke into the open and had to be hauled down from behind at the Windsor Forest 21. The JD offense moved the ball to the Knight 4 before the drive stalled. Rubio came on to try a 22-yd. field goal but it missed the uprights.
Taking over at their own 20, the Knights put their air game to work for an 80-yd. drive. WF completed a long pass for 46 yards and, after a penalty, a screen pass picked up 34 to the Jeff Davis 14. After a penalty, a 10-yd. pass moved the ball inside the JD 10. The Jacket defense then stiffened but, on 4th-and-goal at the 1, Windsor Forest scored. The P.A.T. kick tied the game 13-13 with less than a minute left in the second quarter.
The Jackets successfully executed a pooch kick to start the second half, recovering the ball at the WF 42. But after a Rumph run got a first down at the 32, a 10-yd. penalty pushed the Jackets back and they eventually turned over the ball on downs at the 29.
The Knights scored in six plays, scoring on a 66-yd. pass as their receiver got wide open over the middle. The extra point kick was good and Windsor Forest had its first lead of the game at 20-13.
The Jackets wasted no time getting the score back. After the kickoff went out of bounds, they started at the 35 and, on the second play, the offensive line opened a huge hole for Rumph on the right side. Steven McKever pulled from his guard position and threw a key block and Rumph cut inside off a block by Austin Wood, slipped an ankle tackle and he was off to the races on a 62-yd. romp up the middle of the field to the end zone. Rubio’s toe tied the game at 20-20.
After the kickoff, Darrell Mincey blasted through from his linebacker position to sack the Knight quarterback for an 8-yd. loss and Tre’vyous Chandler batted down a pass on the next play. Two plays later, WF punted the ball away.
Taking over at their 30, the Jackets rolled 70 yards in five plays. Rumph ran three times for 24 yards and Kirby picked up the other 47 yards in two runs, the second a 40-yd. gallop up the middle where he broke a tackle, eluded another tackler and raced up the middle of the field to score. Rubio’s kick made it 27-20 as the Jackets went back on top.
But not for long.
On the third play after the kickoff, yet another Knight receiver got behind the secondary for a 54-yd. TD strike. The kick tied the game again at 27-27.
After the kickoff, Rumph ran for 11 and Austin Wood picked up 20 and another 10 before the drive sputtered and Cade Walters punted the ball into the end zone.
Windsor Forest then drove the ball deep into Jacket territory before Walters intercepted a pass at the Jacket five and followed excellent blocking, going down the left side of the field and then reversing field all the way to the Windsor Forest 27 before he was stopped.
After a penalty backed them up, the offensive line opened anther big hole up the middle and Kirby dashed through it for 32 yards and a 33-27 Jacket lead. Rubio kicked the P.A.T. to make it 34-27.
Following a change of possessions, Windsor Forest began its game tying drive at their own 39. It took them five plays, scoring on a 28-yd. pass. The P.A.T. kick tied the game at 34-34 with only seconds left in regulation.
After the kickoff, Metts knelt on the ball to set up the overtime.
The Jackets got the ball first in O.T., scoring from the 15 in four running plays. Austin Wood got 2, Kirby 6, Metts scrambled on a pass play for 7, and then Austin Wood covered the last 3 yards. Rubio booted the extra point and it was 41-34.
On Windsor Forest’s possession, the Knight’s also scored in four plays, scoring on a 1-yd. run.
But instead of kicking the P.A.T. to tie the score, the Knights went for 2 and the win. But freshman Chandler roared in untouched from his linebacker position and hurried the quarterback’s throw, and the pass to an open receiver in the end zone was behind him and he couldn’t hold on, giving the Jackets the victory, 41-40.
The two teams were evenly matched statistics-wise as the Jackets had 444 total yards to Windsor Forest’s 443. The Jackets got most of their yardage on the ground (349 yds.) while the Knights favored the airways (349 yds.). Jeff Davis had 56 yds. passing and Windsor Forest ran for 95 yds.
Jashaun Kirby led the rushing attack with 20 carries for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Britt Metts was 4-for-4 passing for 56 yards and a touchdown and Sam Snell had two catches for 22 yds.
Cade Walters was the leading Jacket tackler with seven stops, James Wood and Darrel Mincey both had sacks, and Emanuel Rumph and Walters each had an interception.
Score by quarters:
WFHS 0 13 14 7 6 -40
JDHS 13 0 14 7 7 -41