Jackets get Homecoming win over Berrien

Jeff Davis High’s football team evened its record at 3-3 last Friday night with a 29-15 Homecoming win over Berrien High’s Rebels
The Jackets took the opening kickoff and began their first possession at the JD 36. La’Trell Sellers immediately raced 13 yards for a first down at the 49, but three plays later the Jackets had to punt the ball away.
Berrien immediately went for the long bomb and scored on a 74-yd. pass to take an early, 7-0 lead.
But the Jackets quickly bounced back. On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, Carter Mullis took the ball up the middle and, as he fought for extra yardage, the ball squirted loose. Sellers alertly scooped up the ball at the Jacket 39 and outran everyone to the end zone for a 61-yd. score. Kevin Vega booted the P.A.T. to knot the score 7-7.
On the Jackets’ next possession, quarterback Colby Beach faked a handoff to Mullis up the middle and, as the Rebel defense converged inside, Beach took the ball around the left side and broke into the clear. He was pulled down from behind after a 39-yd. gain to the Berrien 22.
Beach then hit Mullis with a pass over the middle for an apparent score, but a flag backed up the ball to the 26. A flag against Berrien on the next play and yet another flag against the Jackets left the ball at the Rebel 25, nullifying a 25-yd. scoring run by Jude Worthington.
On the next play, a Beach pass was picked off at the Berrien one yard line.
The defense held and the visitors had to punt the ball away. On the first play of the second quarter, Beach kept for a first down at the Rebel 27.
But the Jackets could get no closer than the 23 where a fumble gave the Rebels the ball.
After a Rebel punt, the Jackets had the ball at their own 28. Worthington took a handoff from Beach around the right side, broke into the open, slipped a tackle at the Berrien 30 and raced into the end zone for a 72-yd. TD run. Beach ran up the middle for the 2-pt. conversion and the Jackets led 15-7.
The Jackets got another chance to score before intermission when the Rebel punter was flushed by the JD punt rush and Mullis came up to sack the punter for an 8-yd. loss.
Two possessions later, the Jackets had the ball at the Berrien 34 when Beach connected with Mullis for a 29-yd. completion to the Rebel 5. From there, Beach handed off to Mullis, who flipped the ball to Eli Saunders on a reverse and Saunders threw to Beach who had gotten open in the end zone for a 5-yd. scoring pass. Vega kicked the extra point and the Jackets led 22-7.
The Jackets started the second half with an on-side kick that was almost successful but the Rebels recovered the ball at their 43.
On 3rd-and-6, Lewis Baker flushed the quarterback from the pocket and he, Haydon King and Kace Galbreath sacked the quarterback for an 11-yd. loss and Berrien had to punt the ball away.
Starting at the JD 38, Elijah Benjamin fought his way for 12 yards to midfield. A penalty backed them up to the 40. Benjamin got five back and Worthington got 15 and a first down on an inside reverse.
But the Jackets couldn’t capitalize.
The Jackets got the ball back as a Josh Worthington sack forced a Rebel punt.
Starting at their own 15, JD wasted little time upping their lead. After Jude Worthington got five, Sellers got outside for 15 and a flag added some more yardage. Then Beach broke through on a kidder for 42 yards to the Berrien 13 as the third quarter came to an end.
Beach started the final quarter with a 5-yd. run and Benjamin battled his way up the middle for eight yards and the score to make it 28-7. Vega’s toe made it 29-7.
Berrien added a late score plus the 2-pt. conversion to make the final 29-15.