Jackets rally to defeat Cook

Trailing 14-7 going into the 4th quarter, Jeff Davis High’s football team dominated the final stanza to score twice and take a-from-behind 21-14 victory over Cook High School Friday in Hazlehurst.
The Jackets and the Hornets had battled on even terms in the 1st three quarters. But, starting with the final play of the 3rd quarter, the Yellow Jackets ran 21 plays to just 3 for the Hornets, and out-gained the visitors 112 to minus-3 as they took the 21-14 lead. The win upped JD’s record to 7-1 with a road game against Berrien and a hiome game against Brooks Counnty left in the regular season.
The Hornets took the opening kickoff and immediately established the fact that they’d be a force to be reckoned with. They put together an 11-play drive that moved the ball 50 yards to the Yellow Jacket 20 where Kei’lyn Biggins scooped up a fumble and returned the ball to the JD 33.
Jeff Davis wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Garrison Coleman, starting at fullback in place of the injured Kobe Hill, quickly darted 13 yards to the 36.
Then Jacob Laney took a pitch around the left side, cut off a block from Braylon Varnadore, cut back to the middle of the field with a host of downfield blockers, broke into the open at midfield and raced all the way to the end zone for a 64-yd. TD romp. David Calderon kicked the extra point and the Jackets were on top 7-0.
But the lead was short-lived. The Hornets took the ensuing kickoff and marched 69 yards in eight plays to tie the score. Most of the yardage was gobbled up in the first four plays as they scored on 3rd-and-goal from the 2.
The teams traded punts on their next possessions with Calderon backing up the Hornets with a 47-yd. punt that rolled dead on the Hornet 5. After Cook moved the ball for a couple of 1st downs, Jaiden King had a tackle for a loss and Jeremiah Davis and Brice Bohannon combined for a quarterback sack, forcing a Cook punt.
On their final possession of the 1st half, the Jackets moved the ball well with Mark Durden hitting Peyton’s Jones for 9 yds., Coleman carrying up the middle for a 10-yd. run and Varnadore picking up 15 on a pitch. But an end around lost a dozen yards and the Jackets couldn’t recover and the half ended in a 7-7 deadlock.
Jeff Davis took at the 2nd half kickoff and, with Coleman bulling his way to move the chains, the Jackets got close to midfield but had to punt the ball away.
On Cook’s 1st second half play from scrimmage, Jamari Wilcox bulled his way past the Hornet center and nailed the quarterback before he could retreat to pass for a 2-yd. loss. On the next okay, Wilcox raced into the backfield again, this time nailing the runner for an 8-yd. loss. Then it was Amare Burney’s turn as he dropped the runner for no gain. So, on 4th-and-20, the Hornet punter had to kick from his own end zone. The ball hit the ground at the Cook 32 and bounced backward to the 28 to put JD in excellent field position.
On the 1st play after the punt, Laney took the ball around the left side and raced into the end zone. But a penalty nullified the score, backing up the ball to the 39.
While the offense picked up a 1st down, they could get no closer than the 8 where Calderon was called on to kick a 25-yd. field goal. But the kick was blocked and a Cook defender picked up the ball and returned it all the way to the Yellow Jacket 23 yard line.
Five plays later, the Hornets scored on an 11-yd. quarterback keeper to put the Jackets down 14-7. After the kickoff, Coleman picked up 8 yards as the 3rd quarter came to an end and the Jackets trailing 14-7.
The Yellow Jacket offensive line owned the 4th quarter as Jeff Davis came from behind for the victory.
Laney opened the 4th quarter with a 7-yd. run and a 1st down at the Cook 47. Varnadore then went right for 9 more. Coleman got 5 up the middle and a flag against the Hornets moved the ball to the 18. Durden kept for 8 to the 10, Coleman took it to the 5 and scored on the next play. Calderon kicked the P.A.T. and the score was knotted at 14-14.
On the 1st play after the kickoff, Wilcox was at it again. He dropped the quarterback for a 5-yd. loss. Burney rushed the quarterback into a bad throw and Cook had to punt. The Jackets took over at their own 40 and went to work. Coleman ran 3 straight times, overcoming a 5-yd. penalty and picking up a 1st down. at the Cook 49. Varnadore and Durden runs moved the chains to the 38. A Durden keeper and 2 more Coleman carries got a 1st down at the 26. Laney got 7 and Varnadore 4 for a 1st down at the 14. Two plays later, Durden pitched to Varnadoe for a 9-yd. TD run and the Yellow Jackets led with just 30 seconds to play. Calderon’s kick was good and it was 21-14.
Cook had little success as they ran off the remaining time on the clock.
Laney led the offensive output with 129 yards rushing and a touchdown on 8 carries. Coleman picked up 88 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Varnadore ran nineties for 56 yards and a touchdown and Durden had 5 carries for 14 yards.
Josh Worthington had 5 tackles and 3 assists, Wilcox had 3 tackles, all for losses, and one assist and Jaiden King and Eric James both had 3 tackles and an assist.
STATISTICS
JD Cook
1st downs 19 8
Plays 50 41
Rush yds. 302 107
Pass yds. 16 49
Total yds. 318 156
Turnovers 0 1
Pen.-yds. 9-21 8-20
Score by quarters:
CHS 7 0 7 0 -14
JDHS 7 0 0 14 -21
Scoring:
JD – Jacob Laney, 63-yd. run. David Calderon kick.
Cook – 2 yd. run. Kick good.
Cook – 19 yd. run. Kick good.
JD – Garrison Coleman 5-yd run. Calderon kick.
JD – Braylon Varnadore, 9-yd. run. Calderon kick.