Jackets win scoring fest

Posted 11/2/22

One wouldn’t necessarily think of two defensive plays as having a game-changing impact on a game which ended with a 51-36 score. Yet, when the teams combine to score on 13 of the 20 possessions in the game, those drives which do not end in a score become critical to the end result. 

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Jackets win scoring fest

Posted

One wouldn’t necessarily think of two defensive plays as having a game-changing impact on a game which ended with a 51-36 score. Yet, when the teams combine to score on 13 of the 20 possessions in the game, those drives which do not end in a score become critical to the end result. 

One of those truncated drives occurred early in Mineola’s win over a visiting Rains Wildcat team last Saturday in a game delayed a day by stormy weather.  

On the first possession, Rains drove 69 yards and had a first-and-10 at the Jackets 6-yard line. Stubborn defense put the Wildcats in a fourth-and-2 just outside the Jacket’s goal line. On that fourth-down snap, senior D.J. Newsome rose up and created a wall on the left side of the defensive line. Rains was stopped in their tracks. Mineola took over. 

The second instance happened late in the game with Rains desperately trying to close to within one score. After the teams had put up over 1,000 of total yardage, anything could happen. 

On a pass play from midfield, Rains appeared to have a completion for a big gain. That was until Dawson Pendergrass placed a crushing and legal blow on the receiver which separated him from the ball. It seemed to decide the game a few minutes before the clock expired.

The two players mentioned above, Newsome and Pendergrass, probably encapsulated the game better than any two players on the field. Newsome terrorized the Wildcats all night. When he couldn’t make a tackle himself, he influenced the flow of the play so much that it often put other Yellowjackets in position to make a tackle. 

He was a part of the final sack of the Wildcat quarterback which effectively ended the game – Edgar Rubio made the initial contact with Newsome a split-second behind him. Of note, Chris Rossie would have had the sack even earlier but he was seized by the arm and flung down by the offensive tackle. 

The second defensive play referred to above came from Pendergrass. His efforts on the night were nothing short of amazing. He rushed 31 times for 451 yards and five touchdowns. His vision in finding the narrowest of creases in the defense and then exploiting them was inspiring. 

After Pendergrass rushed for 239 yards in the first half, the Wildcat defense had seen enough of him. The senior running back had intimidated the Wildcat secondary, and once free of the line and linebackers, he shredded the Wildcat backfield.

This game was more than just a wild scoring fest. The first half was relatively closely-played, with each team demonstrating their best skills. The Jackets took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, driving 99 yards for the opening score. 

Rains registered a 7-6 lead early in the second with a nice 73-yard drive of their own.  

Leveraging a great kick-off return by JaMarcus Kennedy, the Jackets scored two plays later. Pendergrass took the ball off of left tackle. The offside guard, Isaiah Gardner, pulled and kicked out the linebacker, Braydon Alley sealed the play on the inside, and Pendergrass sprinted 65 yards for the score. 

Noah Turner added a 33-yard field goal just before the half and Mineola took a 16-7 lead into the break. 

Mineola opened the second half with a grinding 62-yard scoring drive – all of it on the ground. Keke Martin accelerated through a stretched right side for the touchdown. There was hope that the game had turned decidedly to the home side. What followed was the definition of two teams trading punches.

Rains scored with 4:13 in the third: score Mineola 23, Rains 15.                                                                  Mineola answered with 2:34 in the third: score Mineola 30, Rains 15.                                                                                               Rains scored with :57 seconds in the third: score Mineola 30, Rains 22.                                                                                           Mineola answered with :45 seconds in the third: score Mineola 37, Rains 22.                                                                                Rains scored with 8:51 in the fourth: score Mineola 37, Rains 29.                                                                                  Mineola answered with 8:35 in the fourth: score Mineola 44, Rains 29.                                                                    Rains scored with 6:44 in the fourth: score Mineola 44, Rains 36.                                                                                 Mineola answered with 4:09 in the fourth: score Mineola 51, Rains 36.

On the ensuing possession, the aforementioned sack by Rubio and Newsome secured the win. 

In a game with as much action as last Saturday, there were plenty of spectacular performances. In addition to the yardage machine which was Dawson Pendergrass, a number of Yellowjackets deserve comment. Joining Newsome and Gardner, Corde Berry played with great urgency on the line, as did David Reyes. 

Martin and Alley had stand-out games, as did Mario Bautista and a the amazingly-consistent Noah Turner.   

The Yellowjackets will head to Commerce Friday with the final playoff spot in District 5-3A in the balance.