Jackets win homecoming game 42-14

Jeff Davis High shook off a pesky Berrien High Friday night as the Yellow Jackets rolled to a 42-14 homecoming victory.
The visiting Rebels made it interesting in the first half with a 14-pt. second quarter. But, after leading only 21-14 at intermission, the Jackets scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to win easily.
The victory gave the Jackets a 5-1 record entering this week’s game against 4-2 Bacon County in Alma. Berrien fell to 2-4 with the loss.
Berrien turned the ball over with a fumble on their first possession of the game and Ian Griffin recovered the ball at the Yellow Jacket 42 yard line.
On the second play after the turnover, JD’s Jacob Laney took a pitch to his left, cut off blocks from Griffin, La’Trell Sellers, Brice Bohannon and Jaylen Wilson Gamble, broke into the clear and rambled 57 yards before he was tripped up at the Berrien 10. Two plays later, R.J. Sims bulled his way over from 5 yards out to get the scoring started. Fabian Valdelamar kicked the extra point and Jeff Davis led 7-0.
Sims and Kenneth Kidd combined for a 3rd down sack to force the Rebels to punt after a 3-play possession and the Jackets started at their own 31. On 3rd-and-3, quarterback Mark Durden got off a deep pass under immense pressure and Sellers gathered in the throw at the Berrien 33. He then darted to the Rebel 10 for a 38-yd. completion.
On the next play, Durden kept the ball up the middle and went into the end zone standing up for a 10-yd. TD run. Valdelamar’s kick made it 14-0, still in the opening quarter.
Berrien wasn’t ready to quit as the Rebels took the ensuing kickoff and put together a 10-play, 74-yd. drive to cut the score to 14-7 early in the second quarter.
The Rebels quickly got an opportunity to tie the score as they recovered a Yellow Jacket fumble at the Berrien 49.
But three plays later the Jackets picked off a pass to get the ball back at their own 23.
It took the Jackets 7 plays to cover 77 yards to the end zone. The Jeff Davis offensive line did much of the work as they dominated the line of scrimmage. Griffin and Kobe Hill both had 17-yd. runs and Laney scored from 21 yards out with the blocking so good that no defender touched the sophomore as he covered the distance.
Valdelamar added the P.A.T. and it was 21-7.
Again, the Rebels fought back, racing 70 yards in 6 plays to score again and make the halftime score 21-14.
The Rebels executed a successful on-side kick after that and were in business at the Yellow Jacket 47. But the visitors got off only one play as the 2nd quarter clock ticked down to zero.
Jeff Davis wasted little time increasing their lead in the 2nd half. Starting at their own 40 after the 2nd half kickoff, Hill muscled his way up the middle for 9 yards to the 49. Sims then took a handoff up the middle, presumably just to pick up the yard needed for the 1st down. But the Yellow Jacket offensive line mauled the Berrien front and, instead, Sims broke into the open 4 yards down the field and raced all the way to the end zone untouched for a 51-yd. TD run. Valdelamar made it 28-14.
Berrien tried to battle back, putting together a drive that reached inside the Jacket 25 before the JD defense pumped it up a notch. On 3rd-and-13, Jamari Wilcox flushed the Rebel quarterback and Kace Galbreath sacked the QB for an 8-yd loss and Berrien had to punt on 4th-and-21.
The JD offense took over at the Yellow Jacket 7. Two plays later, Durden kept the ball around the right side and broke into the open as Sellers cleared the way with a pancake block. The sophomore signal-caller streaked 75 yards before being brought down from behind at the Berrien 5. Sims then bulled his way into the end zone and Valdelamar tacked on the P.A.T. for a 35-14 Jacket lead.
After an exchange of punts, J.J. Benjamin picked off a Rebel pass at the Jeff Davis 20 to give the Jackets an opportunity to tack on a 4th quarter score.
A flag nullified 72-yd. Messiah Swinson score minutes later. But a couple of plays later, Durden threw a strike to Sellers near the Berrien sidelines and the senior wide receiver cut back to the middle and eluded would-be tacklers for a 48-yd. touchdown.
Valdelamar made it 42-14.
The Jacket bench took over the offense from there and they put together an 8-play drive that ran out most of the time on the game clock. Garrison Coleman did most of the ball carrying, including breaking loose for a 47-yd. run early in the drive.
Score by quarters:
BCHS 0 14 0 0 -14
JDHS 14 7 14 7 -42